Super Mario Adventuria (Arc I)
by KoopalingKrew98
Summary: How did Mario and Luigi end up in the Mushroom Kingdom from New York? Can Peach and her subjects fair on their own in the aftermath of the Mushroom War? The Koopa Troop conquering the capital with their latest leader Bowser? This is the retelling of the beginnings of the Mario video game franchise, with a taste here and there from the short-lived Super Mario Adventure comics.
1. Plumber Premiere (Part 1)

"The Mushroom Kingdom. Our land was once a peaceful place. Then, everything changed when the Koopa Troop attacked!"

"For generations, our people have waged war with the Koopas and their allies. Up until about a few years ago…life has been a battlefield. Now…nothing. It's like they vanished."

"But they're still out there. I know it! The Koopa King thinks he's so smug just sitting on his throne, the little gears grinding in his head, as he's plotting…scheming…and BA-BOOM!" General Toad slaps his thin rod against the projector screen. "One clean swipe off the map is all we'll be! We're just sitting ducks in our isolated capitol..."

"Ahem…", whispers the princess, who was standing a few feet off to the side.

General Toad squints into the darkened conference room, just barely seeing the outline of the Toads trembling in fear. "Er…excuse me. Well, I think I'll let our princess take it from here."

Peach steps up in front of the projector screen, facing her worried subjects. "Now, the Koopa Troop has been inactive for over a decade now, and even before, their numbers had been mighty low since they had a change in leadership. Although the Mushroom Wars have diplomatically ended, time has not healed old wounds yet. So it is best to assume that…the Koopa _King_…will strike soon!"

The Toads murmur in agreement. "Since he still has no physical kingdom," Peach continues, "and no other kingdom has reported any sighting of his current encampment, it is to my knowledge that they have crossed into the Valley of Desolation".

Now the Toads really begin to speak out to each other. One of them turns to her and asks, "Even if what you say is true, are you sure we are ready?"

"Yeah," pipes up another Toad, "I mean, Donut Plains is still unstable, many non-Toad citizens remain unchecked for legality, and your father…" Everyone goes silent after bringing him up.

"I know," sighs Peach, "I've been newly appointed, and I have huge shoes to fill after everything my father's done for our kingdom up to his dying breath. But that is why you are here. With your collective knowledge and experience with the Mushroom Kingdom, I need that kind of help if I am to lead our troops to the inevitable. Our Mushroom Kingdom has survived this long, and we can still end this scathing struggle!"

"Here, here!" the Toads chant.

"Alright, now listen up!" barks General Toad, "The princess and I have discussed an operation, that will require stealth and nimble prowess. I ask for the enlistment of a relatively small task force, whom I will lead to the Valley of Desolation, and discover once and for all what those stinkin' Koopas are planning. So, do I have the council's approval?"

The Toads looks at each other for a brief moment. "We hope," responses one Toad as the others nod as he speaks, "that you, and the princess, know what we are getting our Mushroom Kingdom citizens into. That said, we will act upon your plans immediately."

"Thank you," Peach sighs in relief, "and I can assure you, that whatever happens from now, this Koopa King and his followers will once and for all be…"

* * *

"Finished!"

"Finally!"

Meanwhile, in another place, in another world entirely, two young men have just finished tightening up the last of the sewage pipes in a Brooklyn apartment basement. The one with a shirt and cap clad in red climbs down a ladder, meeting up with the other with a shirt and cap clad in green, who carefully crawls out from under some pipes. The two walk over to one side of the room where they left their supplies, and slide their backs against the wall side by side until they are sitting on the floor.

"Phew, well done, bro!" says the one in red, "Third customer today; a new record."

"Not to mention, this particular one had multiple plumbing issues!" The one in green groans, "What's-a their deal anyway? They ding their pipes, call us over, and then go on vacation?"

"Oh, are you not feeling 'nuff to snuff' now?" teases the red one.

"Okay, just because you were born _two_ minutes ahead of me, doesn't mean I'm too young to keep up with you!" the green one playfully replies. "And I could've easily reached that pipe near the ceiling better than you did."

"If you're still irked about having to crawl under those lower pipes, I'd have you know that you are much more nimble and…smaller to reach those tight spots."

"Nah, I wasn't…I'm irked. But I am _starving_ right now! It's been hours since we last ate!"

"Ha ha, just like always! Come one," The two stand up, lifting a toolkit in each hand. "Let's-a go out for some lasagna you always love!"

"You mean the lasagna _you_ always love!" laughs the green one as he elbows his brother in the gut. They both laugh as they head out of the basement and onto the streets of Brooklyn, New York.

That night, they take off their caps and change out of their work clothes, putting on more casual attire, with their respectively colored ties. The brothers head down to Brooklyn Bridge Park to meet up with some childhood friends at their favorite restaurant: Segale's Eat-Alia. At the restaurant desk entrance, the brothers are greeted by two Japanese employees.

"Hello, Mario," greets the younger one with glasses. "Luigi, glad you guys could make it again!"

"Hi, Shigeru." replies the one in the red tie. "Wouldn't miss it!"

"Hello!" replies the one in the green tie. "So, we aren't getting into as much trouble as last time, are we?"

"Well fortunately no," chuckles Shigeru. "Our assistant manager here, Minoru, managed to talk things out with Manager Segale, and while we had to cough up quite a bit of cash to finally keep him moot last time, Minoru broke an even deal to give us the special seating."

"Don't forget," Minoru chimes in, "that it was also a good thing Pauline is a persuasive speaker."

"Speaking of her, let's-a not keep her waiting," says the one in the red tie, "nor waste those good seats you guys won over."

"Well said, Mario" says Shigeru, "Right this way!"

"Finally, food!" cheers the one in the green tie, "Thanks again, Minoru!"

"Your very welcome, Luigi" Minoru replies as he prepares to greet the next customers.

Shigeru leads the brothers over to a secluded room, with a decorative fireplace, a large window view of the East River, and a table with plenty of room for four. Waiting for them at the table is a young woman in her mid-twenties, with long and flowing burgundy hair, lavender eyes, and a long, pale red skirt.

"Mario! Luigi!" shouts the young woman as she stands up to greet them, "It's been too long!"

"Ah, Pauline!" said Mario, "Your tour has brought you back home?"

"Yes! Well, for now it has. And what a better way to return home than to spend the first evening back with old friends!"

"Well, at least you haven't forgotten the Mario Brothers' favorite dining spot" says Shigeru. "I prepared our drinks and bread already, and Minoru will come by soon to take our orders."

Before the others sit down, Mario graciously pulls out a chair for Pauline. Minoru shortly arrives, taking orders from each of them. When he returns half an hour later, he brings a specialized pizza for Shigeru, pasta for Mario, lasagna for Luigi, and a clam sauce for Pauline. Before long, they start to chat as much as eat their own food.

Mario is telling the others about a trip to the beach on a very hot day with his brother. "…so Luigi got up off his reclining chair, looked all over the beach, and wondered why everyone else was-a complaining of sunburn. Then this girl came by and asks how he managed to keep his skin so light. But he got so flustered from the attention that his face turned red as the sun, and she thought she was-a mistaken!"

Everyone laughs; even Luigi joins in the laughter, while also going a little red in the face with embarrassment.

"Could you pass the olive oil for my bread roll, Mario?" Pauline asks.

"Sure thing" says Mario, as he passes the vial over to her on his left. He then turns to Shigeru across from him. "So Shigeru, how have your college classes been going?"

"There are going pretty well" he replies. "Botany has so far been my favorite extra curriculum, but I am still giving my full attention to my main classes. Someday soon, I will become a world-class software designer." He finishes his sentence while striking a Superman-like pose.

"My, my!" remarks Pauline. "You unbending spirit hasn't changed since our days in the orphanage."

"Oh yes" says Shigeru as he reclines back in thought. "Fond memories. All those adventures we had together. Our fearless leader 'Super Mario' led us through strange worlds those years. But I bet you guys have had great adventures now that you finished college yourselves. Pauline, from all the traveling you have spoken about, it sounds like you've been to more places than any world leader!"

"Oh no, that's not true" she says bashfully, "I've only been to maybe a dozen or so major cities in America, and perhaps a couple countries afar. I'm still young in my freelance profession, so I've still got so many more places to go, and sights to see."

"Your resume is quite impressive regardless" says Luigi between mouthfuls of lasagna.

"Speaking of which," she leans over to Mario and puts a hand on his lap, "thanks again for helping me with the commercial pitch. The C.E.O. was very pleased."

Mario blushes a bit, "It was-a nothing. Playing that 'Mr. Video' character was-a surprisingly seamless"

"Yeah," says Luigi, "when it comes to my bro, no one has more style in front of an audience."

As the conversation goes on, Mario starts to take more and more interest in the food in front of him.

"So what about you two?" Shigeru asks, "Has your plumbing business been 'smooth sailing' still?"

"Oh yeah" Mario looks up from his plate. "Luigi and I are-a still in it."

"I think we've become the most popular plumbers in Brooklyn now" says Luigi.

Shigeru adjusts his glasses. "Are you still thinking about joining a major league sport?"

Mario smirks a bit as he puts his utensils down. "Perhaps. I…I just can't decide which one to choose."

"Well, good things come to those who wait. If you rush it, it probably won't lead to good results."

Their dinner raps up with all smiles, and Mario and Luigi head back to their apartment. As the two get into their pajamas and get ready to sleep, Luigi notices Mario is a bit more silent than usual, siting on his bed.

"What's up, bro? You've been a little quiet since our dinner reunion." Luigi walks over to his own bed next to his brothers, sitting right across from him. "Hey, aren't you glad Pauline's back?"

Mario smiles a bit. "Well, yeah I'm-a glad. That's-a not it, though."

"So what is it?" Luigi snaps his fingers. "I got it! I know what you need: more plumbing! You always had a knack for plumbing, and I'll bet that rush of adrenaline from three clients in a row has worn you out big time. So how about…

Mario waves his hands in front of him. "No, no. I mean, I guess, but…" he sighs, "I just feel like something's-a missing. Something that leaves me incomplete. I thought it was plumbing, and don't get me wrong, we're good."

"We're _super_ good!"

"But now, I think that isn't quite my calling." Mario stands up and paces between their beds. "I need something bigger. Something grander. Something that keeps me on my toes. Something like…like…"

"An adventure." Mario turns toward his brother, smiles, and nods. Luigi stands up to face his brother. "Mario, we've been through everything together. And you know, that I know, that you've always been good at just about anything you put your hands on. And you are a great leader. Remember those times we ventured through the ventilation shafts to get goodies for the other kids?"

"Yeah, those adventures were amazing."

"Well, I may have use to be an adventurer like you, but now, I've found happiness in the simplicity of life. We can still find little mini-adventures around New York."

"True," smiles Mario, "it does feel like almost everything extra-ordinary happens in New York."

"See? Adventure is out there. Just you wait." The two get under the covers of their beds. "I'll bet that tomorrow, your true calling will come."

Mario laughs, "I hope you're-a right, Weegee. Good night."

As the two go to sleep, and dream of better days, a sink in another apartment begins to rattle…


	2. Plumber Premiere (Part 2)

RING! RING!

"Ug, what time is it?" murmurs Luigi as he places his pillow over his head.

Mario groggily gets out of bed, and trudges over to the phone in the hallway outside their bedroom. With a stretched yawn, Mario answers the call. "Hello? Mario Brothers Plumbing, no leak too small…"

"Sorry if this is a bad time, but things have gotten so bad with my pipes here, I just had to call. So could you please come over to Myrtle Ave as soon as you can?"

"Of course, mam, we'll be ready in…"

RING! RING!

"Oh boy…" groaned Luigi, tightening his pillow over his ears.

"Excuse me mam, one moment…" Mario presses a button on the phone to switch to the next customer. "Hello? Mario Brothers Plumbing, no leak too…"

"Oh thank goodness you're up! My wife just found a huge puddle in our basement, and it's coming from our pipes. Could you come over to Pacific Street? My wife is getting increasing worried."

"Yes sir, as soon as…"

RING! RING!

"Oh for…" Luigi glances over to the bedside clock. "…five-thirty…in the morning…really?"

Now Mario was really awake. "Hold on a second, sir..." One button press later: "Hello? Mario Brothers Plumbing…"

"Yes look please come over quick, I've got sewage water backin' up out of the toilet, so could you please come to 10th Street…"

RING! RING!

"What the heck?" Mario puts a hand over the speaker as he turns to the bedroom. "Luigi! Could you please check our email box? If the phone lines are-a this bad…"

"I'm on it." Luigi grunts as he slumps over to the computer.

Mario switches lines again. "Hello…"

"HELP!" shouts a female voice on the other line

RING!

"Hey, red and green dudes, we have a mondo problem…" says a teenage voice on another line.

RING!

"Hey, Mario, get down right now! This is an immediate emergency!" says a male voice.

Mario begins to get dizzy as more and more calls flood in. Mario leans up against a wall as he tries to collect his bearings. _"This is-a really weird!"_ thought Mario, "_So many pipes broken, in one night? And they're-a all around Brooklyn…"_

"YIKES! Maaario!" Luigi shouts franticly, "There must be over a hundred requests for plumbing issues. Most of them seem to be clogs of some sort."

Mario switches the line back to the first woman. "Mam, you still there? Good, we'll be over in no time." Mario switches the lines to connect to all who dialed in. "Listen up everyone. There seems to be a city-wide issue with the plumbing. There's only two of me, and we can only work one at a time. So please understand, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible."

Mario hangs up the phone, taking some deep breaths.

Luigi walks up to him. "So what now, bro?"

All the wheels in Mario's head start turning. _"So many pipes…a Brooklyn mystery…pipes…"_

Luigi puts a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You alright, bro?"

Mario turns to Luigi, a smile stretching across his face, and a fiery passion burning in his eyes. "Oh yes, Weegee, I'm better than alright. I think I found that calling I was waiting for!" Mario bolts up and sprints back into the bedroom. "Yes! 'Super Mario' is back into action!"

"Woah, woah, slow down a bit!" Luigi follows his brother into the bedroom, where he's already changing into his red shirt and blue overalls. "Shouldn't this be a job for the detectives, or the police, or…we can't handle a situation this huge. We're just plumbers."

"Well then," Mario flips on his red cap, fully dressed, and clenched fist, "Let's go practice plumbing!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in another world, General Toad gathers his newly organized Toad Patrol near the border of the Valley of Desolation.

"Alright, captains, listen up!" The Toads line up in front of General Toad in a soldier stance. "We are about to embark on a secret mission. We want no part in a new war. Just because you're given the title of 'Captain', doesn't mean you get to engage the enemy on your own right. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" say the Toads nervously.

"Now, our objective is to locate our enemy's camps. Intelligence points to most of them being right across there." General Toad points behind him toward the Valley of Desolation. "So fortunately for us, we won't have to engage them there, this time. However, rumors have recently come about that there are Goombas grouping up suspiciously by Hither Thither Hill, not far from here." A few Toads spit on the ground when the Goombas are mentioned.

"So are mission is straightforward: find out what those traitors are up to, and disrupt them with minimal casualties. Are you with me?"

"Yes sir!" The Toads say with more enthusiasm.

"Then let's move out!"

They pick up their belongings and march behind General Toad, with one particularly worried Toad bringing up the rear.

* * *

By 7:30AM, Mario and Luigi go to their first client on Myrtle Ave, dressed in their red and green attire respectively, tool kits at the ready.

"I've-a never felt so excited in years!" says Mario as the two walk up the apartment steps.

"We're just going to fix our customers plumbing, right bro?"

"Of course!" winks Mario as they reach the client's door. After a couple of knocks, the woman opens the door.

"Oh thank goodness you came as soon as you did. I'm Mrs. Floyd" greeted the woman.

"I'm-a Mario!" He shakes her hand. "And this is-a my brother, Luigi."

"Hi!" Luigi says, also shaking her hand after Mario. "So what sort of problem are we dealing with?"

"If only I knew" she replied, "Please, right this way." Mrs. Floyd leads the brothers over to the kitchen, and points to the sink. "It started last night; started rattling up like crazy. It was so bad, my husband and I were kept up all night. And when we checked, we also heard strange, faint sounds coming up the pipes."

Luigi put his ear over the sink. "Hm…I don't seem to hear anything right now…"

Suddenly, the sink shook violently in place. Luigi gave a yelp as he jumped back in shock. Mario stood there dumbfounded. "How's-a the water?" Mario asks Mrs. Floyd, "Anything suspicious about it in terms of the sink?"

"No, not really," she replied. "It does splash about when the sink shook, so we turned the valve off."

"Very good. Let me take a look under the sink then." Mario crouches down and opens the cabinet doors to the pipes under the sink, which also shook as much as the sink itself. "Geez, the pipes almost look like they're-a going to bust out of place!" Mario stands back up. "I wonder…have you checked the pipes in your basement?"

"No" replied Mrs. Floyd, "but someone else in the apartment was trying to call you earlier about that."

So Mario, Luigi, and Mrs. Floyd head down to the basement area, and find out that many of the pipes are rattling against each other, ringing as loud as church bells.

"Yikes!" Mario clasped his gloved hands over his ears, as the other two did the same. "Let's-a go back; I think we've seen enough." Luigi nodded in agreement. It wasn't until they went back to ground level and closed the basement door behind them that everything went reasonable silent. "If things are-a so bad here, I'm-a surprised this problem hasn't spread throughout this neighborhood."

"Actually," Mrs. Floyd starts, "my friend down the street has also had plumbing issues. And so have others…"

"Oh no." Luigi facepalmed. "We'll never get every customer done today."

Mario ponders for a minute. "If this whole street is getting backlogged plumbing…then we must get to the root of the problem: the sewers." Mario starts jumping in excitement. "Let's-a get going now!"

"Wait bro, shouldn't we get some more gear back home? We never checked the sewers before in our plumbing careers."

"Oh don't worry. We're the Mario Brothers! We handle just about everything."

"But…"

"Mrs. Floyd, we'll be back soon, with your pipes back in working order."

"Alright" she replies, "My husband is busy out making sales, but when he returns, he'll be able to pay you then!"

Mario and Luigi head out into the street, and run over to the nearest manhole cover. Mario lifts the cover off, and strange, soft sounds begin to echo out of the sewers.

"Can we go back now?" moaned Luigi, "I think I'd prefer to fix our clients' apartments than this underground hole.

"Are-a you kidding me? And miss out on this opportune adventure? Come on, don't tell me you're-a going to chicken out now."

Luigi looks down at the sewer, then back up to his brother. He sighs, "All right, you do have knack for fixing _all_ plumbing. But this better be worth the job."

"Then let's-a go!" Mario jumps up and into the manhole opening.

Luigi tentatively puts his legs in, then takes one more deep breath. "Okey-dokey!" Luigi calls back. He hops into the sewers with a small splash. "Eck, well this is just gratifying."

Mario pulls out a flashlight. "Come on."

For a while, nothing but the sound of drips and trickling water filled the sewers. Then the same strange sound came through. The sewer vibrated like a small tremor.

"Sounds like a compressed boom" Mario ponders. "An earthquake perhaps?"

Luigi holds onto his hat. "It better not be. I don't like the idea of being trapped in here…" Suddenly something begins to walk over Luigi's foot. "WAAA" he cries as he kicks the critter into the air further down the sewer.

"What was that?" Mario leads a shuttering Luigi over to where the creature fell. As Mario shines the flashlight on it, they see a strange turtle creature, stuck upside-down on its shell, its feet wiggling in the air as it tries to right itself. The brothers look at it confused. "Never seen anything like this turtle before; not like how I pictured one anyway."

Luigi still hides behind Mario's back. "Looks kind of creepy to me."

The Shellcreeper then turns its big beady eyes onto the brothers. The two watch in shock as his shell starts changing in color, from green to purple. "I also don't remember turtles changing colors" says Mario.

The Shellcreeper flips back onto its feet, made a sort of chirping sound, and rushed at the brothers. Startled, they both jump out of the way as it runs past them. "I also don't remember turtles moving faster than slow…" says Luigi. Suddenly, the Shellcreeper comes running back after the brothers, who drop their tool kits and flee in fright from their pursuer. "I don't remember turtles being this aggressive either!"

The two run through the sewers, turning every way they can to try to throw it off their trail, but to no avail. Eventually, the two make it into a larger area with twisting pipes, where they fling themselves onto the floor just out of the way of the Shellcreeper. It keeps running past them and into a nearby smaller pipe.

"I think…we lost it" Mario panted, standing back up.

"Oh I think…we have certainly…lost it" gasped Luigi. Then they heard a few chirping sounds above them. They slowly look up to find dozens and dozens of green Shellcreepers.

"Mama mia!" The brothers shouted.

Luigi started to back away slowly. "Shelled creeps everywhere! Well, bro, I think we've reached the limit of our job description…so…can we go back now?"

Mario looked around at the creatures above him. Then he looked down at his two hands, with the flashlight in his right. "Here. I've got a plan." He tosses the flashlight over to Luigi, who briefly fumbles trying to catch it.

"Wait! What are you…what am I…"

Mario puts his right hand into a fist and clasps it with his left. "I think these pipes need a good sponging. Weegee, spot for me. Time for these 'Shellcreepers' to get shell-shocked!"

"Oh geez, the puns, too?"

But Mario already leaps into action. "Hm, these green ones are-a slow like they're supposed to. This should be easy as pasta!"

At first he tries to kick the lower ones, but that only seems to get their attention. As a group of them surrounds him, Mario leaps up to grab the pipe above him, accidently knocking off a Shellcreeper. It falls on its back, wiggling its feet helplessly. Mario remembers the one Luigi kicked earlier, and not wanting it to get back up with more gusto, he quickly comes right back down and kicks the downed Shellcreeper. It chirps wildly as it slides into a stream of water and out of sight.

"Now we're-a getting somewhere. Weegee, keep that flashlight on me; I need them to be where I can see them."

Luigi steadies the light on his brother as best he can, but that becomes easier said than done, as Mario jumps from pipe to pipe. The red plumber soon gets a rhythm going, punching pipes to cause Shellcreepers to lose their balance and fall over onto their shells. And before they could get up, Mario kicked them down. Even the purple one from earlier succumbed to the plumbers swift jumping and kicking prowess. Within a few minutes, all the Shellcreepers were cleared from the area.

Mario wiped his hands together. "Considering the bizarre circumstances, I'd say our enemies' chances to rise to the surface just went down the drain!"

Luigi slowly recomposed himself. Then he smirked at his brother, "Normally, I'd say your puns are as bad now as they were back in daycare, but after that eye-worthy stunt, I'd say you earned it. As for me," Luigi turns toward the large pipe they were chased out of, "I'd say we go back up and check on Mrs. Floyd to see if this fixed her sink troubles."

Suddenly, a cell phone in Mario's back pocket rings. "We have reception down here?" He takes a peek at it. "It's-a Pauline!" Mario presses a couple of buttons. "Hello, Pauline?"

"Mario!" a hint of panic comes through her voice. "Is this a bad time? Are you busy at work?"

"No, not at the moment. Why?"

"You won't believe it unless you see it. Come down by my house, quick! It's crazy over here!"

Mario looks at Luigi, looking just as confused. "Don't worry, Luigi and I are on our way!" He hangs up. "Seems like things just got weirder."

Luigi begins to look worried. "Oh no, you have that look again."

"Come on, it's-a Pauline, for crying out loud. She could be in danger for all we know."

"I know, I know. But we just dealt with Shellcreepers from who knows where. And I got this feeling that things over by the East River are a whole lot worse!"

"Well, that's why I've got you to tag along, right? We're the Mario Brothers! If we can handle a few turtles, how bad could it be?"

* * *

The Toad Patrol makes it to Hither Thither Hill, and crouch behind a top of a hill. General Toad looks through a pair of binoculars to spy on some Goombas down the hill, who patrol a small camp that blocks the way leading into an inlet between two hills.

"Hm, I'll bet you fellas eight red coins that there's something between those hills they don't want anyone to see." He looks up at a nearby Windmill, and then puts his finger into the air to check for a breeze. "Alright men, here's what we're going to do. One of you is going to go to that windmill and change the speed to cause a huge breeze over the hills. This should get the Goombas' attention, and the rest of you will follow me past the abandoned camp to take a look at what they're hiding. So, who's going to be our lucky volunteer?"

Everyone else looks down at their feet. The scared Toad quakes in his shoes, praying he isn't picked.

"Alright then, how about you!" General Toad points to the scared Toad, who yelps to attention. "What's your name, soldier?"

"M-m-my name?" stammers the Toad. "It's um, T-T-Toad."

"Ah a strong name" says General Toad sternly. "Then you should have no problem staying by the windmill and making a few adjustments, you mind, captain?"

Captain Toad stands as straight and still as he can. "Y-y-yes, s-sir!"

"Then march to it! Everyone else, let's get into position!"

While the rest of the Toad Patrol head to the right side of the two hills, Captain Toad rushes over to the windmill. Inside, wooden gears and logs grind against each other. Some switch blocks float above the center of the floor.

Captain Toad takes deep breaths. "Okay, Toad, you can do this. Just change the direction…"crank up the speed, and then wait…" he gulps "…until the Goombas…come." Toad goes over to one block, and jumps up to hit it a few times to turn the windmill toward the Goomba camp. Then he walks under another block. "…crank up the speed, and then wait…" he gulps "…until the Goombas…come." He starts to hit the block, but as he jumps, he gets more and more frantic. After the tenth jump, he becomes increasingly worried of what the Goombas will do once they get to the windmill.

"Ack! I did it! I'm out!" Toad screams as he raced out the windmill. The blades already are turning at a fast pace, and are racing faster still. "I've got to get to the safety of the general! I've got to get to the safety of the general!" Toad runs so fast, he forgets which hill the Toad Patrol was meeting.

The windmill is now creating gale-force winds, getting the attention of the Goombas all the way at the camp.

"What the heck is up with this wind?" says one Goomba.

"It's coming from the windmill" says another.

"Hold on," shouts another, "we can't leave here. The Koopa King said so."

"So what do we do?" says another Goomba, struggling to keep his balance. "We…ah!" The windmill now gets out of control, and knocks the Goomba off his feet, and into some bushes by the right side of the hill. When he comes to, he is surrounded by some startled Toads.

"We've been ambushed!" shouted the Goomba. "Everyone, get into defensive position!" The Goombas converge together into the center of the camp, before stumbling back out to the edge of the camp.

"Sticks at the ready, soldiers!" General Toad hollered. "The enemy has sighted us!" The Toads line up by the camp, face-to-face against the Goombas. The wind still bellowing in their ears as they stare each other down.

"I suggest you get lost, stuck-ups!" a Goomba grunted. "You wouldn't want the Koopa King involved too soon, would you?"

"We don't back away that easily, traitors!" spat General Toad.

"Fungi!"

"Mushnuts!"

The tension builds between them, while on the left hill, Captain Toad watches from a hiding spot. "Oh no…"

"CHARGE!" both sides shout. Some Goombas charge forward, while others leap head-first. The Toads ready their blunt spears in front of them. And then the battle begins.

* * *

Mario and Luigi make it to Pauline's house, by cab, near the East River. Pauline is in the middle of the street, helping to prop up another girl who looked half-faint.

"What's-a happening here?" says Mario.

"Oh, Mario" Pauline starts, "It's…"

"Giant fly…" the fallen girl, "A giant fly…flew up and up…"

"There, there, little girl." Mario starts to pull up his sleeves. "Tell me, where's the big bad fly that needs to get a few manners knocked in?"

Suddenly, all the nearby manhole covers pop off, and hundreds of huge flies buzz out of the sewers, flying every which way. The four of them scream in terror at the cloud of strange bugs.

"See, Mario," screamed Luigi, "you got what you wanted? Because I certainly didn't want any of this!"


	3. Plumber Premiere (Part 3)

"Quick, give me my wrench to throw! Maybe that'll work." Shouts Mario through the mass of swirling flies.

"Sorry bro, but we dropped all our gear when that Shellcreeper chased us earlier." Luigi replies.

While the brothers try to fight off the flies, Pauline is holding a fainted girl on her lap while she calls 9-1-1. A few minutes later, policemen and firefighters reach the scene. With guns drawn, it doesn't take long for the flies to bother them, too. Some policemen crouch in hopes of avoiding the onslaught, while most of the others begin firing rounds into the air. The flies spread out, desperately avoiding the bullets, and momentarily fly about in disarray. As some policemen try to fend them off, the other emergency teams begin to check the neighborhood to make sure everyone is alright. Mario and Luigi try to catch their breath when a firefighter checks up on them.

"No, we're alright, sir" says Mario, while Luigi gives his brother a dirty look. Mario points out to Pauline and the girl, and the firefighter goes to collect the girl, as he calls up a medical team to his position.

"Really?" cries a slightly ticked Luigi, "We're 'all right'? We just fought flies just under half your height, wearing mittens and booties, and…geez, I must've been having something" Luigi begins clutching his head as he lurches over in miscomprehension of what he just saw. Mario keeps squinting his eyes into the air, watching the flies above.

Suddenly, the buzzing of flies roars back to life as they regroup above the street, and form a focused aerial dive. The firearms of the police do nothing to stop their charge, and the flies return to swarm the street.

"Augh! The Fighter Flies are back!" says Luigi and his slides to the gravel this time. Mario starts spinning around and jumping every which way in a desperate attempt to swat the Fighter Flies away. Pauline stays close to Mario, with a broom in hand, as she tries to defend herself. Now more policemen flee from the scene, trying to lead civilians to safety.

The firefighters man their fire trucks, and use the hoses to spray away the Fighter Flies. The fly creatures back off and fly away toward the East River. As everyone breathes a sigh of relief, Mario looks toward the direction the flies flew, pondering.

Mario walks up to a tensed up Pauline. "Pauline, is this what you wanted to show me earlier?"

Pauline calms down a bit as she bringst her attention back into reality. "Not…really. While this was much worse, what was happening before was just as bizarre. You see, people in this area were screaming about these larger-than-normal turtles that were crawling out of the sewers and into their apartment basements."

"Those Shellcreepers we saw earlier!" Mario turns to his brother. "I bet the turtles and flies are-a somehow related." He then looked around, gesturing as he speaks. "We were-a just at Myrtle Ave, where there are-a plenty of food places those critters are probably attracted to. It isn't too far from here, where the turtles were-a heading from. Now these flies came by, and retreated to the East River over there, which sort of lines up with the same direction the Shellcreepers probably came from. So…"

"Oh no!" Luigi waved his hands in front of himself. "I see where you're going with this, and I don't think it's safe one bit! This is a job for the police, bro! Why not let them handle it?"

"Because they handled those Fighter Flies so well the first time, right?" Mario points to a few policemen still nearby, and still looking shaken up. Mario turns to Pauline. "How long ago did those turtle creatures come by here?"

"Um, I think it was about an hour or so from now?" she says.

"Hm, considering the turtles and flies can run like there's no tomorrow, it doesn't seem like they have any particular destination." Mario began to pace in front of Pauline and Luigi. "But they seem organized enough that they can defend themselves…and be on the offense. And if our wave of plumbing customers we hand early this morning are-a related to these critters causing mishaps…"

"In which case," says Luigi, "how about we go to them next, since they called for us?"

_"Myrtle Ave…Pacific Street…10__th__ Street…"_ Mario points his fingers in the air to assist him in making a mental map. Then his eyes grow wide. "…then those creatures covered a lot of ground…er, _under_ground…already!"

Luigi takes a second to think over what his brother said, and then his eyes grow wide, too. "Oh no! Then they're all over Brooklyn already?!"

"With the police force so thin, they'll probably be too busy to strike back at the invaders" gasped Pauline. "Then someone's got to strike them at they're source"

Mario tightened his cap. "Precisely. And I know just where we should look." Mario turns north toward the East River.

"Do we have to?" says Luigi. "Isn't someone else a bit more qualified for this? And what about our apartment, with these Shellcreepers and Fighter Flies out there"

"Come on, Weegee. We're the Mario Brothers! If we can handle speedy turtles and dog-sized flies, how much worse could it get?"

Suddenly, a soft, muffled boom sound goes off, and then the ground slightly shakes below them. Luigi gives Mario a stern look. Mario can only respond with a quick shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, wherever we're going, we better make it there fast" says Pauline.

* * *

"Toad Patrol, lower your spears and poke those traitors out of the way!" barks General Toad.

"Goomba Storm, dash forward with all the speed you got!" a Goomba yells.

The battle begins between the Toads and Goombas. The Toads stay in four equal rows as they charge forward toward they're enemies. This knocks over half of the Goombas who only chose to press forward. However, a bunch of Goombas leap into the air, crashing head first into the front three rows. The two middle rows of Toads do raise they're sticks into the air in retaliation, but it doesn't stop the Goombas from falling in between their ranks.

General Toad stays busy at the front lines, swishing his stick to and fro. The other Toads soon do the same. At first, the Toads have the upperhand in skill, spinning and sliding they're way through the marching of Goombas. Even outnumbered, their coordinated attacks under the guide of General Toad prove no match for the archaic, leaderless Goombas.

However, with a Toad-to-Goomba ratio of 1 to 10, the sheer number of Goombas eventually splits up the Toad Patrol into pairs, each surrounded by Goombas. Their sticks merely keep the Goombas at bay in a ring formation as the Toads go back to back. An hour in, the Toads begin to sweat bullets. The gale-force winds from the windmill subside when one of its gears strain too much and stops it in place. A poultry few Goombas do tire out enough to back off, but isn't enough to break the containment.

General Toad does catch on to the problem. He chains some head-stomps on Goombas to reach each pocket of his soldiers who begin to tire out. He gives his compatriots small rations of Super Mushrooms to help replenish their strength. He even uses his own head as a fighting weapon…literally! But even with his assistance, little ends the stalemate between the bitter enemies.

All the while, a lone Captain Toad hides in some bushes up on the left hill. His eyes stand fixated, staring at the battle scene, while the rest of his body quivers. "_Oh man, I messed up big time! I should've made sure that the windmill didn't go out of control. And now, because of me, I botched the sneak attack that General Toad was supposed to do. Oh, what should I do?"_ He nibbles his fingers. _"I want to help them somehow, but if I rush in there, those Goombas will surely spot me and headbonk me into submission! And what would General Toad say to me about my task…that I ruined?_ Toad puts his hands to his mushroom cap as he bends his head down and closes his eyes. _"Why did I sign up for this? I'm a coward! The whole town knows it! I had nothing to prove…"_ He opens his eyes again, looking back out to the battle. Just at that moment, he notices that the main activity of the battle had been moving slowly and surely away from the opening to the valley between the hills; exactly where General Toad was trying to lead his captains over to.

_"That one shot…that one opening…"_ Toad slowly gets up. _"The one chance to redeem myself, and help save the kingdom I live in."_ He puts a hand behind his back, checking to be sure his stick was still in its holster behind him. He then tries to give himself a look of determination. "Yes. I'll show them. Here I go." And with one deep breath, Toad carefully sneaks down the hill, past the chaotic battle, and into the valley.

* * *

Mario, Luigi, and Pauline reach the edge of the East River. Looking around, they see the Manhattan Bridge to their right, with ships bustling in and out of the Wallabout Bay. To their left, the Brooklyn Bridge crosses above a ferry dock, where a ferry boat begins to leave the dock on another scheduled ride. The water couldn't be calmer on an otherwise peaceful and sunny day.

Mario crouches close to the river, and puts a hand on the ground. "If those turtles and flies came from the sewers, there must be a way for them to get into them. Here is probably the closest open end to the sewer system under Brooklyn. But…something feels off about the pipeway underneath us. I can feel it. Can you, Weegee?"

Luigi taps his foot a bit, half distracted by his own inner thoughts. "I guess. Yeah, something doesn't feel right. Then again, in a catastrophe like this, why wouldn't everything feel off?"

"Wait, you guys can sense where all the pipes are, just like that?" says Pauline, both confused and amused. "I don't remember this ever coming up in our personal conversations."

Mario stands back up. "Yeah. Well, we don't know how, or why, but Weegee and I can feel exactly where all the pipes are and mentally map out where they lead. It's sort of a 'sixth sense' thing. Probably got mixed up with the "twin sense" we were supposed to get instead."

Luigi stifles a grin before looking over the water. "So, if the enemies did go by here to get into the sewers, where are they all now?"

Suddenly, a single Fighter Fly comes by from the Mahattan Bridge area, and hovers over the river. In its mittens, it holds a large blue cube, with the words 'POW' on it. It then notices the plumbers who spot it. Giving a snarky chortle, it drops the cube into the water before flying off again.

"What the heck was that block thing for?" says Mario.

FWOOOOOOSH!

A huge gush of water erupted in the middle of the East River, disrupting the passing ships and ferry. A muffled boom echoes off the city buildings.

"Well, there's the source of those boom-like sounds" says Luigi, as he holds his hat tight over his head, expecting a torrent of water to pour over them. Instead, hundreds of red crab-like creatures the size of fire hydrants rained down, riding the water waves created by the underwater explosion. Most of them successfully land along shore, and few land close to Mario and company.

"Oh no, not again!" screams Luigi. He tries to run back, but in his haste nearly runs in front of a passing concession stand.

"Whoa, young man, you look like you're in a time of need" says the salesman pushing the concession stand. "The name's Friendly Floyd. Need a drink? A hammer? A pair of sunglasses? You _name_ it, I've _got_ it!"

"Get these crabs off my tail!" hollered Luigi.

At this moment, Mario and Pauline are in a tussle with a few of crabs, who sidestep in a circle around them. Mario tries to punch them, but that merely makes them more irritated. Mario then tries to jump on one, but with a quick snap of his claw, it pinches Mario's foot. Mario cries in pain as he falls back into the middle of the circle, Pauline consoling him. One other crab approaches Luigi, sidestepping back and forth as it gets closer and closer.

"Please, not my goods, Sidestepper!" Mr. Floyd panics, "That's my life's sales!"

As the Sidestepper gets closer and closer, Luigi cannot take it anymore! Luigi begins to spin in place, and the Sidestepper stops inches away to avoid his flying fists. He spins faster and faster, with the Sidestepper clipping its claws in preparation for a precise pinch. Then, just when the Sidestepper winds back for the pinch, Luigi sweeps to the side, while simultaneously knocking over a large tank of lemonade on Floyd's concession stand. The Sidestepper misses its target, and instead latches hold of the lemonade tank, spraying the sugary liquid everywhere. Not only does the Sidestepper attacking Luigi slip up, but so does the Sidesteppers circling Mario and Pauline, as well as Luigi himself, who's spinning gets him a bit dizzy. Mario seizes the opportunity and kicks the upside-down crabs around him into the East River.

Meanwhile, the one Sidestepper that gave Luigi so much trouble managed to upright itself, and turned its shelled hide from red to blue. It quickly turns its attention to Luigi, who is still dazed from the spinning. Mr. Floyd takes his concession stand and flees the scene.

"No, Luigi, watch out!" cries Mario. Mario picks up a bit of speed before sliding on the slippery lemonade toward his brother. The Sidestepper also uses its increased speed to try to reach the green plumber. Fortunately, Mario beats its to Luigi, using all his momentum to slide Luigi out of the way. The Sidestepper isn't so lucky, as the lemonade spill provides little friction, and it just keeps slipping and slipping into a tree. With one hard face-plant, the blue Sidestepper falls over unconscious, and Pauline moves in to hit it away.

"Are-a you okay, Weegee?" says Mario as he helps his brother up. "You were in a bit of a pinch."

Luigi shakes his head and puts a hand to his forehead. "I think so."

Just then, a loud droning sound comes overhead, and the three look up to see some air force planes, coming in for assistance. They fly over the East River, deploying special toxins meant to paralyze crabs. At first, the plan works, as dozens of Sidesteppers still along the river flee in terror. But then the all too familiar buzzing sound returns, and the swarm of Fighter Flies engage the air force. Dogfights between jets and flies take place, the planes shooting at their small targets, while the Fighter Flies drop a POW block here and there to disrupt any coordination.

"Even the air force is having trouble with these invaders" gasped Pauline.

"Okay, this is really out of hand now!" says Luigi. "Come on, Mario, there's nothing more we can do…"

"Yes, there is" says Mario flatly. "We know for sure those creatures are-a coming from this area, and I bet if we can find their hiding place, we can hit 'em where they live."

"But we haven't been able to make a dent at their advances. Nobody has."

"Come on." Mario puts an elbow into Luigi's gut. "We're the Mario Brothers! We can…"

Now Luigi's face grows red with anger. He shoos Mario's arm away. "No, bro. First off, _you_ are Mario. I'm not you. I'm just a down-to-earth plumber who cares…so much…about you, enough to follow you to ends of the Earth. But that doesn't mean I'll follow you over the edge!"

"Over the edge? The whole city is-a going 'over the edge' already. Brooklyn; our city; our only home we know of. I care about you, too. And Pauline. And the rest of our friends and neighbors." Mario clenches his fists. "I'm fighting for all of that! I'm going out, where no man dares to go. I'm striking back so hard, that no creature would dare mess with us!"

"But look at you!" Luigi points to Mario's gloves, covered in bloody cuts and bruised spots. "Your hands are as battered as a rock to the grindstone. And your shoe! Oh, Mario, look at your foot. It's scraped and beaten beyond repair! I don't know how your foot isn't in pain, but we've got to get that checked. Pauline, help me take Mario…"

"I'm fine" says Mario, with an increasingly agitated and annoyed tone. "But it doesn't matter. There isn't much time. We got to stop them now!"

Luigi sighs, still fuming. "Fine, we'll stop them. But _I_ am going back to our apartment, where it's _safer_. _You_ run along on your _adventure_ you've always wanted." Luigi starts walking back into the city.

Mario is stung a bit by his words. "Wait…" he says faintly. "Luigi…" he says a little louder. Luigi stops for a second, then continues on. Mario looks at his blistered hands. Then his looks up at Pauline, who looks extremely worried and concerned.

"Mario…" she begins

Mario looks toward the East River again, the dogfight continuing above them, and the Sidesteppers now advancing into the city. "You better go somewhere safe, Pauline" he tells her, "and warn anyone else you know. There's no telling what those critters are after."

"What about you? Where will you go?"

Mario looks toward the Manhattan Bridge, his face growing stern. "Probably…somewhere wet."

* * *

Captain Toad tiptoes into the valley between the hills. With each step he takes, he gets more and more nervous. His right hand involuntarily bolts for the stick on his back once and a while before coming back down. On one occasion, he twiddles his thumbs as he glances back and forth. Nothing is there.

_"This isn't so bad."_ He turns back to the entranceway of the valley…only to find that he stepped a mere 25 feet into it. "Sheesh, really?!"

Suddenly, footsteps can be heard further down the valley. "Oh no. This is it!" Toad pulls his stick out in front of him, pointed at the ready, and runs up the side of the valley behind a cliff-face at higher ground. From his vantage point, he spots the creature who was coming: a Koopa Troopa. The Koopa walks casually to the entrance to the valley. For a few painstaking seconds, Toad stood crouching and leaning over the cliff-face, waiting to see what the Koopa would do.

Then after the Koopa left out of view, he quickly came back through, running as fast as he can, shouting, "I've got to warn my King! I've got to warn my King!"

_"No, no, no! He can't bring reinforcements into this! I've got to do something!"_ Toad tries to quickly and quietly step back down the hillside. Unfortunately, he steps onto a weak part of the foundation, and a mini rockslide slips Toad down the side. "AAAACK!" screamed Toad as he careened straight toward the unsuspecting Koopa. The turtle creature glances upward at the sudden noise, and all the rubble and Toad falls straight on him. Toad jumps on his head, flips into the air, and almost falls over when he lands feet first on the valley floor.

Toad takes a few deep breaths. He nervously looks back to where the rockslide ended up, and in the middle of the pile of debris lies the Koopa, hiding in its green shell. Toad creeps over to the shell, stick at the ready. When he gets close, he nervously takes his stick and pokes the shell. He stops. Nothing happens. He pokes it again. Nothing.

A smile grows on Toad's sooty face. "I did it. I did it! Yaha!" He begins to dance in place with glee. Suddenly the shell begins to shake, spooking Toad out. "Oh no you don't!" he says with a panic. In a moment of instinct, Toad delivers a swift kick to the green shell, and the Koopa spins down the valley, ricocheting off the sides, and out of the valley entrance toward the Toad-Goomba battle.

"Huh. Well, I hope that does more good than harm." Toad claps his hands together, and turns further into the valley.

* * *

Mario puts his hand in various places around the East River, trying to find an entryway to the sewers that shouldn't be there. His search leads him under the Manhattan Bridge. He touches the very edge of the water. A smile broadens on his face. "Gotcha."

Mario stands up and looks around. He is alone. Most of the brawls were taking place over and within the city now, both of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Mario looks over the water. "Well, looks like my swimming skills are sure going to come in handy now." He takes a deep breath, and dives into the river.

Murky liquid and bits of trash swirled around the plumber. He tries to focus his attention to the abnormality he just detected. As he blindly follows his 'pipe senses', he does eventually brush up against the Brooklyn side of the river again. Feeling along the underwater wall, he eventually finds an opening he doesn't feel belong. He feels the air in his lungs starting to gasp for air, but trusting his gut more, he swims head first into the opening. Fortunately, it leads him into the familiar, tubular walls of a sewer, and shortly after that, a pocket of air.

Mario paddles to the surface and nearly chokes through the boggy sewage air. Mario swims a bit further until he finds a stretch of concrete to lift himself out of the water. After swishing the water out of his shoes and brushing the gunk out of his mustache, Mario walks further ahead down the sewer pipe, feeling his way to the enemies. His bad foot also starts to sting.

"Can't worry about that foot now" Mario curses under his breath, "Alright, you critters, where are-a you?"

As he walks deeper into the sewers, the eyes of Shellcreepers, Sidesteppers, and Fighter Flies glare at him with glee as they peer at their newest victim from the darkened nooks and crannies with glee.

Meanwhile, on the surface, Luigi walks back home. His hands in his pockets, head down, and mumbling to himself.

"Hey, young man!" says a familiar voice.

Luigi turns around. "Oh, it's just you, Floyd."

Friendly Floyd runs up to Luigi, concession stand in tow. "Hey, just wanted to say how great you and your brother were when you took out those Sidesteppers. That was certainly some spectacle! What do you guys do for a living?"

"We're plumbers." Luigi looks toward his feet. "Well, we were. I like the job enough, but, I did it with Mario. And I don't even know what my bro wants anymore now."

"Hm, sounds like you have a big 'leak', as you'd plumbers might say? Or a pipe that's in two? I don't know, I'm no plumber." Mr. Floyd digs into his concession stand and pulls out a suitcase. Then he fishes through the suitcase and pulls out two sledge-like hammers, each with an enormous 'head' attached to the handles. "Here, as thanks for the help back there, take these." He gives them both to Luigi, who falls over at the surprising weight he is holding.

"Wait, are you sure? What for? Why these?"

"Well, since you and Mario are plumbers, and brothers, I believe I'm not that far off when I say they'll be of use to you in something. Heck, probably more ways than one! But its first use, will probably be to 'make ends meet'."

Luigi looks at him perplexed for a moment. Then he looks down at the hammers he got. _"My bro would most certain take a liking to this hammer. Hm…I kind of like the hammers, too."_ Then a jolt of realization hits him. _"You know, maybe I've been itching for some of that 'adventure' stuff Mario's been taking about."_ Luigi looks up. "Wait, my bro! I've left him alone! I've got so save my bro!" He starts to bolt down the street. But then he turns around to shake Mr. Floyd's hand. "Thanks, Friendly Floyd! But I've got to help my bro, quick!" And with that, he takes his hammers in tow and sprints back to the East River.

"Wait!" says Mr. Floyd, trying to shout over the jets flying overhead at that moment. "I was also going to mention that you're going to have to pay for those! And my concession stand needs fixing too! Just a few hundred dollars is all!"

As Luigi gets closer and closer to the riverside, he passes by tanks that are engaging some Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers. While the turtles use their hard shells to take the bullets, the Sidesteppers leap at the tanks when they get close enough, snapping the mounted cannons off. Some Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers do take notice of Luigi, but with two new hammers in hand, Luigi simply spins and jumps around like a maniac, bashing away any who dare get in the way between him and his dear brother.

"Have at it, you snappy saps! What to mess with me now?!"

As he presses on, he just catches a glimpse at some Sidesteppers hauling a couple of tanks, and a downed jet, toward the river.

"Wait, what are they doing with those weapons?" And then a horrifying, calamity-contrived idea pops into his head.

* * *

Toad carefully presses on through the valley. "Come on, Koopas, I can take you. I can take you all."

He reaches a sharp turn. He leans against the rocky walls. He hears Koopas chatting and metal clanging around the corner.

"I can do this. I can take them. All I need to do…is take a peek at what they're doing…and then report straight back to General Toad." He clenches his stick harder. "I can do this. I can take them. I can take…" Toad steps out around the corner.

"Soon, all of the Mushroom Kingdom will belong to me!" says a deep voice.

"…h-h-h-h-him!" gasped Toad, as he fell back in shock, unconscious at the sight of a huge, spiked-shelled Koopa.

"Bwahahahaha!"


	4. Plumber Premiere (Part 4)

Mario steps through the sewers under Brooklyn, New York. "Come on out, turtles. I know you're-a down here somewhere." He drags his hand against the side of the sewer pipes, making a mental note to himself on where he's been. For over a while now, he has followed his 'pipe sense' through a part of the sewage system he feels shouldn't exist.

"_Hm, that feels funny…" _A strange tingling feeling vibrates through every fiber in his body. Not much, but just barely noticeable. And this tingling gave split-second relief to his already aching body. _"I just hope my body is-a ready…"_ A splash comes from down the pipe behind him. He turns around, and sees nothing in the gloom. A river of water passively streams to his right. Suddenly, swaths of Shellcreepers break the surface of the water.

"Mama mia! Too many!" cries Mario as he starts running down the sewers. The Shellcreepers swim close behind him. Some manage to climb onto the walkway and pursue him on foot. Mario tries to make quick turns to escape them, but with every other turn he makes, more Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers block his way and he's forced down another path. "_Sheesh, this chase feels familiar! Come on, Luigi…"_ But after a quick glance, he remembers that his brother isn't at his side.

Finally, a dim light appears at the end of his path. _"I've-a got to get out of the way! Or I'm-a crab's meat!"_ As he gets closer to the light, the tingling in his body grows. The pain in his foot begins to numb a bit, and his legs become more responsive. When his eyes narrow toward the light at the end, he begins to see that it leads to a vertical chamber, with a deep bottom below. _"Well, now or never, I'll need all the luck and strength I've-a got!"_ He picks up speed. Now, only the Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers of a variant color can keep up with him. He runs faster and faster.

Mario nears the entrance into the vertical chamber faster than expected. He briefly eyes one of the horizontal pipes crisscrossing the chamber. "And…nowhoooooaaahh!" At that moment, Mario uses all his momentum and leg power to jump upwards toward the pipe he was aiming to grab. But to his surprise, he greatly overshoots it, flying much higher and farther into the air than expected. Screaming and flailing, he crashes into another horizontal pipe. After getting the wind knocked out of him, he half-consciously holds on to it and waits a few moments to regain his senses.

Mario looks back toward the tunnel he leaped from below, and besides a few Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers who fall off the edge, most of them huddle at the entranceway, slightly confused. Mario slowly sits up. _"That…wow…I never jumped like that before. I wonder why…"_ Suddenly a familiar buzzing sound comes from overhead, and Mario sees a large group of Fighter Flies come down upon him. _"Geez, not now!"_ Mario carefully stands up and balances himself rather decently. When he looks back up, he sees the Fighter Flies hopping down from pipe to pipe that crisscrosses through the chamber. As each fly creature lunges at the plumber, Mario spins, dashes, and leaps out of the way of each individual attempt at his well-being.

After the whole swarm passes him, he looks down and prepares for the Fighter Flies to come flying back up. Strangely enough though, the Fighter Flies, no matter how hard they try, struggle to flap their wings hard enough to come back up. Instead, they leap further and further downward. _"That's…convenient?"_ As Mario stands there momentarily pondering his turn of good fortune, he turns to notice the Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers have finally noticed him, and turn back through the pipe they came from. "Oh no, better get moving before they catch up again!"

So Mario leaps from pipe to pipe to another sewer tunnel, and runs his way through the dim. While he can barely see his way through the sewers, and the pipes feel 'out-of-place', he can still use his 'pipe sense' to feel his way through. Soon, he crosses a bridge over a small chamber, lit by bright torches bolted to the wall. The sudden light briefly blinds the plumber, and he accidently runs into a Fighter Fly resting in the middle of his way. The fly leaps with a yelp, and drops all his coins he was lying on.

"You idiot!" screamed the Fighter Fly in a high pitch, "A thousand stings to you if you can't watch where you're going!" as he flies in circles, he spots the tripped up plumber. He recomposes his outburst, adjusts his glasses, and makes a wide grin. "Well, well, well! Isn't this a little treat." Mario scoots back as the Fighter Fly inches closer and closer, grinning profusely under his glasses. "The others would most certainly love to _meat_ you! Perhaps I should drag you to their hideout for them to feast upon your chubby innards!"

"…chubby?!" retorts Mario, a bit annoyed in the face of danger.

The Fighter Fly flies a pace back. "But fortunately for you, I'm a forgiving time…perhaps." He flies over the small chamber. "You see, I'm not interested in the tyrant's conquest. I merely want the riches of the lands!"

"What tyrant? And…you talk?!"

The Fighter Fly ignores him. "Those coins you so carelessly punted over the edge are all I got."

Mario looks over the edge of the bridge, and sees a few large, glittering coins. "There not too far down. You still fly a lot better than your kind. Why can't you just scoop them up yourself? I'm-a kind of busy…"

The Fighter Fly zips up close to Mario's face. "A thousand furies to you, unless you zip that mustachioed lip of yours! First of all, the physics of _this_ world is abundantly different from the one _I_ came from. So enjoy the _handicap_ while we're under influence of my world's physics! Second, I may be the best flyer of my species, but I don't know if I'll be able to have the strength to fly back up if I go down to get my coins. _Third_…" a smug grin reappears on his face, "it'll be more fun to have your success hanging in the balance."

"So, what? You want me to simply get your coins for you? But what's-a in it for me, if I do this favor for you?"

The Fighter Fly started fuming. "You…a thousand kabooms to you…_you_ are the one who made me drop them! You…" he stops to ponder for a bit. Then he gets an idea. "Ah, ok. You want a deal? Fine. If you ain't satisfied with getting my coins and I don't tell a soul, then how about this: you get me my coins in _twenty_ seconds, and I'll tell you how to get to my hideout."

Mario looks stunned. "You…You'd really do that, against your own kind?"

"They ain't my kind if I'm running away." He says quickly. "But you'd better be more concerned about what'll happen to _you_ if you don't get my coins in twenty seconds." He leans forward, grinning. "So…do we have deal?"

Mario clenches his fist and adjusts his cap. "Deal."

"Good. Your time starts now."

"Wait, what? Can't I get a second look?"

"Nineteen."

Mario runs off the edge taking a quick glance at the area he has to cover. He lands on the ground, slightly shaken up by the impact.

"Eighteen."

He quickly eyes the first coin a few meters off to his left, and runs after it.

"Seventeen."

Just as he's about to nab it, he is awestruck by how it is levitating mere centimeters off the ground, and it rotates in a rhythmic movement. It's also nearly the size of his own hand.

"Fourteen."

Mario snaps out of his amazement, grabs the coin, and looks around the area again, eyeing the other glinting nine coins.

"Twelve."

He quickly runs around the base of the chamber, grabbing two more coins.

"Ten."

He jumps up to a ledge, where two coins are close together.

"Nine."

He jumps up onto a pipeline jutting out of the side, and falls back down a bit lower, so that he can grab two more coins.

"Seven."

Mario has to jump over and under various pipelines, and he spots one more coin hovering over a gap. He jumps toward it…

"Five."

…and misses! But by quickly turning his body so as to push his legs off a wall, he rebounds back to the coin.

"Four."

He runs toward one of the last two coins near the top of the chamber, knowing that the other is on the opposite end. He catches up to the coin, hovering just in front of an open pipe.

"Three."

He looks back, figuring he has no chance to reach to the other side where the last coin is. He also notices that it, too, is hovering just in front of a pipe opening.

"Two."

"Screw it!" He lunges head first into the pipe opening

"You must see it hopeless now," hopped the Fighter Fly with glee, "with just one second left, you…"

Suddenly, Mario appears out of the other pipe opening, and quickly dives toward the coin, clasping it tight in his left hand while holding the other nine under his right arm. "I…got 'em!" he gasps. As he exhaustingly leaps back up to the bridge, the Fighter Fly looks at him in awe, then quickly recomposes himself and gives a big shrug.

"Well, I don't know how perfect that was going to get, but I bet that show of exercise extended your life by a few years. A test of skill to say the least."

Mario dropped the stack of coins right in front of him. The Fighter Fly quickly zooms up to keep it contained on the spot. Mario still tries to catch his breath from the workout. "Alright, Fighter Fly…"

"Actually, my name's _Flighter_ Fly" he says as he glares at Mario for dropping the coins so hastily.

Mario rolls his eyes. "Whatever. I this _mini_ game for you, so how about you hold your end of the bargain?"

"Yeah…the deal…" Flighter Fly mulls over his coins for a bit. "My brother's going to hate me for this…" he mumbles. "Alright, fine. While I don't have a map, you'll probably follow the general directions I give. And there simple, so simple! You're going to have to backtrack a bit, and then head in the northeast direction." A huge smile reappears on his face as he flies onto his coin pile. "And a thousand plagues to you if you tell a soul about me!"

"If you're-a misleading me, then I will not hold your secret for very long." And with that, Mario walked back out of the chamber and into the sewer system once more.

* * *

"Did you hear that, Lord Bowser?" says a Koopa Troopa next to the Koopa King, looking behind him where Captain Toad passed out. Fortunately, Toad had fallen backwards and just out of sight behind the sharp curve of the valley.

"Must be the sound of success, Private!" laughed the Koopa King.

Toad slowly gains consciousness, and sits up, rubbing his head. "Ooooh…wha?" Toad stands up, leaning against the valley wall with one hand, and using his stick in his other hand for further support. "Man, I had the strangest dream" he mumbled, "And I saw the Koopa King…but that can't be. Nobody's seen the heir to the Koopas since the Mushroom War. Why…" Toad looks around the corner, and he nearly yelps, had he not covered his mouth with his hand.

He sees a huge, dragonish Koopa and a regular, green-shelled Koopa Troopa standing in the middle of an enclosed, circular field, surrounded by the walls of the valley. Many other Koopas and Paratroopas wander about, chatting or carrying materials. Fortunately, all of them either have their backs turned to Toad, or are just plain busy. Most of their attention is placed on a large, open pipe sticking out of the valley wall on the other side of the field.

Toad takes in the unwavering sight of the Koopa King himself: hulking mass, fiery red mane-like hair, sharped horns and claws and shell, spiky collars on his neck and arms, and a snout right above his huge mouth. Even though he was many meters away, his presence was still almost unbearable for Toad to endure. Toad also notices that the Koopa Troopa next to him was twirling a small rod between his fingers in his right hand, occasionally clicking a button on it that caused any sort of small, conceivable weapon to pop out, and then back in again.

Suddenly, some commotion can be heard from the pipe. Then a weird, metal contraption gets pushed out by some Shellcreepers. Then another metal machine, followed by one more. The Shellcreepers push the metal contraptions over to one side of the field, and then walk back into the pipe.

"A nice haul once again" chuckles Bowser. "I wonder what world that came from."

"_Another world?"_ Toad gasps.

"With so many worlds at your fingertips," says Private Koopa, "imagine what great 'toys' we can play with!"

"You got that right!" says Bowser.

"_M-m-many worlds?!" _trembles Toad.

Bowser turns to Private Koopa. "Well, I'm a busy boss. So many armies to make, and so many kingdoms to nab. And you're gonna be busy, too. You better not forget that under-cover mission I've got for you."

Koopa slightly sweat-drops as he gives off a small laugh. "Of course. I've got tabs on that kingdom you were interested in…investing."

"And those past nuisances?"

"Shellkripper no longer bullies, King Mousta is decimated with the Dry Dry Kingdom, Tanuk the Tanooki has struck his last trick, Mutha Blubba is a mere spirit in the wind, Sensei Hex has much to mull over, Bonetail is kept in check, and your biggest rival Juggernaut Bro…banished."

Bowser roars with pleasure. "Very impressive! Keep that up, and I won't have to keep tabs on you anymore than I already do."

"Thank you, boss" Private Koopa says half-gratefully, and half-flatly.

Just then, a Magikoopa comes flying down into the valley, landing next to Bowser. "Your rueliness, your troops believe they found the perfect site for your castle, and they'd like your utmost opinion."

"About time, Kamek! And it better be good. I'd hate to wait a week longer for this. And I have the Mushroom Kingdom to _pay_ a visit to soon." Bowser devilishly grins at the mention of the kingdom, making Toad shake uncontrollably in his hiding spot.

"M-m-mushroom K-kingdom, next?!"Toad squeaks.

"Of course, Lord Bowser" says Kamek, "Any other requests you need done?"

"Yes." Bowser says, "Take Private Koopa to the Jewelry Kingdom, _after_ you drop me off at the site. Oh, and get a hot plate of meat ready. All this surveying works up an appetite."

"One tenderloin meal coming up, your scarfiness." Kamek beckons a couple of Amazing Flyin' Hammer Bros to prepare their flying blocks for Bowser and Private Koopa's transportation.

Bowser turns toward his Koopa Troopas, still busy with the metal contraptions, as he is slowly lifted into the air by the blocks. "And you blokes down there; make sure you get those weapons pushed aside and covered! We're going to have to make room for more tomorrow. Be sure to come back before _I_ do that afternoon!"

Kamek leads the Amazing Flyin' Hammer Bros carrying Bowser and Private Koopa up and out of the valley. The Koopa Troopas groan as they start lugging metal parts around the area. Meanwhile, Toad looks away from the sight, and tries to process everything he just heard.

"_The princess has got to know! The Koopa King himself was here! He's coming to our kingdom soon! I must report to…"_ Toad snaps out of his train of thoughts and grows highly alert. "General Toad! I gotta run back, fast! Oh, I hope he's still alright…and not too mad at me."

* * *

Mario briskly walks through the sewer line he was directed to follow. Even with the few twists and turns, his 'pipe sense' keeps his inner compass aligned. Finally, both his eyes and gut feeling detect a brightly lit chamber ahead.

"Finally!" he cheers, "I hope there are-a still a few turtles and flies waiting around for me to kick out!"

He rushes into the brick chamber, and it is a sight to behold. Unlike the dank and grimy parts elsewhere in the sewers, this large chamber is surprisingly clean. Water rushes smoothly around the perimeter of the cylindrical room, like a moat. Blue, rubber bricks crisscross along the walls and across the room, giving the impression of floor levels. Torches align between the 'floors' of bricks. In contrast with the human-sized brick sewers Mario was crossing through, two, smaller green pipes lay on their side on opposite ends of the chamber, on level ground.

The biggest feature in the chamber was a blown-out hole in a section of the chamber's walls. While it wasn't lit properly, Mario does spot four Shellcreepers who happened to crawl out of it. The turtles quickly notice the plumber, and charge at him.

"Oh good!" Mario grins, "A little demonstration." He jumps over the first three that attack him, but puts his leg in front of the last one, at the last second. The straggling Shellcreeper trips over the plumbers shoe, and falls over on its back. Mario swiftly kicks the shell, and sends it spinning into the streaming water. Unfortunately for the Shellcreeper, the current is too strong for it to paddle to safety. Fortunately for Mario, it gets swept into a drain hole.

The three remaining Shellcreepers are surprised by how sudden their comrade got flushed away, but quickly point their angry beady eyes at their red-clad adversary. "Come on, Shellcreepers," jeers Mario, "let's-a see what you got!" Then they charge at each other.

"Hold it!" shouted a voice high above. "To me."

Mario and the Shellcreepers stop in their place. As the turtle creatures turn back and enter one of the small green pipes, the plumber turns his head up to see who the new guy was. It ends up being a Fighter Fly; a jagged, red one with a white mask.

"_You_ talk?" gasped Mario

"What's the matter, _little_ man?" sneers the red fly, "Never seen a talking fly before?

Mario grows a little red in the face at the word 'little'. "Um, anyway, who are-a you supposed to be dressed up as?"

"I am Frighter Fly. You must be that red guy all my troops have been buzzing about recently. And I must say, you're one to talk. What are you dressed up for anyway? A lumbering convention?"

"I'm a plumber. It's my job to clean out pipes and drains filled with scums like you! And my, what an original name, for a leader of turtles, crabs, and flies, I presume?"

"You could say that. I prefer the term 'daring explore' better. I lead my kind, and other outcast species, to where no other has dared to go."

"More like conqueror! Why the heck would you go up there and trash my city?"

"Trash it? I believe _your_ ammunition from _your_ infantry and tanks, fired by _your_ people are doing way more damage to _your_ city than _my_ soliders are. Heck, I thought you'd find it grateful that we're cleaning _your_ messes for you." Even when Mario can't see his face, he can still feel his stare through the mask.

"What are-a you up to?" Mario starts to beam with strife. "I didn't come crawling all the way down here just to catch a quick chat with the lord of the flies. I came down here, because it's-a my business; my _plumbing_ business. You came up there and threatened the lives of many good people up there. I care about my friends and…my brother most of all. I must _protect_ him and make sure he lives in a peaceful place he prefers. And you are-a not welcome here if all you cause is-a chaos! So take your buddies and buzz off!"

"A worthy speech indeed." Frighter Fly claps his claws, which Mario just notices are claws. "But we've been promised too nicely by a usurper. He needs things that _your_ world's got." At that moment, the three Shellcreepers crawl out of two small green pipes at the top 'floor' where Frighter Fly is perched. Each of them carries a POW block on their back. "Now, I'd suggest you turn around, as many more of my comrades are coming this way. We will outnumber you; we will outmatch you; and this little 'game' of yours, will be over. So, what will it be, _hero_?"

Mario tightens his fists. "Let's-a go! I'm-a ready to give you all the old Brooklyn one-two!"

"Then you shall be our first intended casualty. Everyone, attack at will!

And with that, two of the three Shellcreepers dropped their POW blocks seconds apart from each other at Mario. Mario jumped into the air to dodge the first one, setting off an earth-shaking thud, while the second one lands just as he plants his feet on the ground. He falls over backwards. But he quickly springs back up and leaps up to the first level of bricks. As they get closer and closer to each other, one of the Shellcreepers manages to get one level away from Mario.

"Ha! I still remember how this works!" Without a second hesitation, Mario jumps up and punches the blue bricks the Shellcreeper is walking on. The surprised turtle flips over and gets stuck on its back, while Mario keeps moving up to his level. "Hm, my hand doesn't hurt as much as the last time I did this." Shrugging aside the lack of pain, he rushes over and kicks the helpless Shellcreeper into the streaming water below. Mario repeats the same process with the second Shellcreeper who tried to chuck a POW block at him.

However, the remaining Shellcreeper catches up to Mario on the same floor, and quickly flings the POW block over to him.

"Oh no you don't!" Without thinking, Mario leaps at the incoming block, and punches it. It flattens, and an even more rumbling boom erupts from it. While the plumber himself stays relatively un-phased, the Shellcreeper gets flung up a bit and turned over, Frighter Flydrops his mask, and the opening where the water comes from starts to crack open wider, flooding more water into the chamber. The water level only rises about a couple of feet, but that's enough to cover the entire ground floor in water. Mario kicks over the Shellcreeper and watches as it and the mask float away downstream. Mario looks up toward Frighter Fly, and his jaw drops. Staring down at him is the blood-red face of a rugged fly, with sharp teeth and black, void-like eyes.

"How _dare_ you!" screeched Frighter Fly, "You flooded our major pathway into and out of this world! Now we can't bring the tanks and jets back until we fix this mess." Just then, more Shellcreepers, Sidesteppers, and Fighter Flies spill out of the green pipes above. "Your luck is up now, jump-man! The cavalry has arrived, and you will pay for our delay! Attack, my comrades, for the Koopa King's wishes!" And with that, the Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers charge down, while the Fighter Flies hop their way gradually.

"Mama mia!" cried Mario, briefly stunned at the sheer number of enemies. He brushes his worries aside. "I can't give up now. If I run, I'll just disappoint Luigi in how cowardly I am. I have to show him that bravery and sheer will and drive _can_ conquer all!" And he leaps into the fray!

Mario quickly knocks over many of the oncoming enemies. Although unlike Shellcreepers, the Sidesteppers take two hits from underneath to trip them up. And even more annoying that that are the Fighter Flies, who hop like crazy in order to keep away from the plumber's uppercuts. In due time, the huge number of enemies prove too much for Mario to keep at bay, and he is forced to leap over many to dodge their attacks, or occasionally misses a few of each kind he did manage to knock over. These lucky victims soon change color; purple Shellcreepers, blue Sidesteppers, and blue Fighter Flies come back upright and run after Mario with more gusto.

Frighter Fly watches the plumber with seething delight. "Gonna have to quicken things up a bit." He hops over to a blue tank on his level. "Hope the red man likes a _cold_ war!" He takes a hose attached to it, and sprays the bricks he's standing on with nitroglycerin.

Mario feels a slight chill in the room, and looks up. "Hey, fly boy, you and your troops got _cold feet_ yet?"

"You think you're _so cool_, do you punning man? Well, say hello to my Freezie friends!"

Drops begin to form out of the icy bricks, and the drops turn into Freezies. These stalagmite-like ice creatures slide along the floor, down toward the plumber. Mario tries to jump his way toward them, and does manage to break apart one of them by punching right below it. However, one Freezie manages to get to Mario's level, and melts into the brick, turning it into ice. Mario slips and falls down to the level below, where a blue Sidestepper gleefully waited for him to fall on his pincer. Mario yelps in pain at the pinch, falling further down.

The Freezies each pick a spot of bricks to stop and melt into. Now over half of the floors get covered with ice. Some of the enemies take the opportunity to vibrate furiously, and change color. The ones that already changed color turn into red Shellcreepers, magenta Sidesteppers, and orange Fighter Flies. Now one of the orange Fighter Flies reach a half-dazed Mario in one leap, and tackle him, sending him down again. A green Shellcreeper takes its opportunity and bites Mario. The plumber screams in pain as he feels his wounds bleeding under his clothes.

"Give it up, _hero_!" jeers Frighter Fly, "I see that you endure more than most your kind most likely would, but even you have limits on your life."

Mario tries to get up, but the icy floor he lies on is just too slippery for his bruised body to get a grip on. "I…never give up! I'll still find a way…"

"In that condition? One more major blow…" Right on cue, a few of his troops gather next to the plumber, and with one push, Mario is sent falling off the edge, toward the water below.

"Oh, mama mia!" he says as he flails his arms up above his head.

"…and it's game over for you!"

As the shallow water reaches closer and closer, all Mario could think about was Luigi. "I'm-a so sorry, bro!" he says, shedding a few tears as he accepts his inevitable end…

"No, Marioooooooo!" shouts a familiar voice. Through the main entrance, Luigi comes flailing in, holding two POW blocks in his hands and two hammers in his belt loops. He quickly throws one of the blocks onto the ground, toppling many of the enemies onto their backs. Luigi leaps sideways and catches his brother just before he hits the watery ground.

"…Luigi?" mutters a dazed Mario.

"I got you bro!" says Luigi, tears welling up in his eyes.

"You came? Oh, Weegee, you came! How?"

"I can never allow myself to lose you that easily! It was just a matter of guts, frisking the enemy, and following my 'pipe sense' to find you in the belly of the beast!"

Luigi helps Mario up to his feet. "But, you were right. I never should have rushed in like that. This problem became much bigger than I ever thought it could."

"And it's way worse! Those critters are taking our weapons and using them for some bigger scheme."

"I know. I never saw this coming. And you were right about me; I just…I just got so wrapped up in my craving for an adventure, that I used the excuse that I was-a doing it to save you…when I should have been saving you by your side." Mario splashes the water in a fit of shame.

"Mario…"

"You must think I'm-a weakly brother. There's-a no way we can beat them…"

"Hey, bro! Listen. There was never a day gone by where I thought you were nothing but weak. No. You are strong: strong-willed, strong-fitted, and strong-hearted. You were always there to carry my end of the burden when I wasn't strong enough, or brave enough, to solve our problems. And I love you for that. I have, and still will, follow you to the ends of the world." Luigi pulls out one of his hammers, and passes it to Mario. "So now that we're near the end, how about you show me that heroic leader I know my brother is?"

Mario slowly takes the hammer into his hand, checking the grip. He gives the hammer a good test swing. A smile slowly creeps under his mustache. He sheds a tear. "I…oh Luigi!" He reaches forward and gives his brother a huge hug.

The two step back. "Now, come on, bro. We're the Mario Brothers!"

"Oh yeah!" he chants

"And we can do anythi…."

"Another color-happy lumber man?!" screams Frighter Fly up on the top level. The brothers look up to see all the enemies back on their feet and glaring down at them. "That's it! No more mister nice fly! Get them out! Get them both! Now!"

"I see he caught your sense of jokes" Luigi whispers to his brother.

"Well, there's no turning back now. Time to kick off all these pests!" says Mario as he grips his hammer tightly. "Here we go!"

"Yeah!"

Mario and Lugi storm up to the first level, knocking enemies over from underneath. They take care to knock over certain enemies that were in a position that would block the others from proceeding further down. With a bunch of them trapped, Luigi flips them over as well, while Mario jumps onto their level, knocking them off the bricks in a frenzy. With each careful jump, kick, and hammer-swing, they send the enemies falling into the drink one by one in quick succession. Even the fastest of the bunch prove no match for the brothers' onslaught. Joys of laughter cry out from the plumbers hammering away at their work.

As they get closer and closer to the top, Frighter Fly gets increasingly worried.

"No, no, no! You ain't reaching the final level!" Frighter Fly starts to pick up some POW blocks, and hurls them at the brothers. The brothers merely jump out of the way, and sometimes hit them to their benefit.

Now at the third level from the top, Frighter Fly frantically throws block after block, making it a bit more difficult for the brothers to pass by the remaining red Shellcreeper, magenta Sidestepper, and orange Fighter Fly.

"Man, that leader of theirs looks hideous!" Luigi gasps in disgust.

Mario takes a moment to take in the situation. The Fighter Fly leaps from behind them on the upper level, while the Sidestepper runs in at them from the front on their level, and the Shellcreeper in parallel just above the crab.

As the wheels in Mario's head continue to turn, a smile grows larger and larger. "Hey, bro, how about we try that 'special combo'?"

Luigi stares at him for a moment, then he smiles, too. "Oh, you mean _that_ one? I like your thinking!"

Mario leaps up, just as the Fighter Fly lands directly above him. Mario punches the brick above, sending the Fighter Fly toppling back. Luigi begins to charge forward, with Mario behind him. As Luigi swings his hammer back over his head to hit the Sidestepper, Mario quickly grabs hold of the head of the hammer. Luigi swings forward, sending Mario flying above him onto the level above, and into the Shellcreeper. Mario swings his own hammer at the last second to blindside the Shellcreeper, and the turtle falls all the way into the water. Luigi also makes quick work of the Sidestepper, hammering him off the edge.

"And you had that coming, too!" Luigi shouts below at the falling Sidestepper.

While Luigi goes to combat the Fighter Fly, Mario looks up to Frighter Fly, now a mere level away.

"This is unacceptable!" Frighter Fly bellows. "I ain't flying away from this! I wil not accept defeat!"

"Not so fun when the shoes on the other foot, is it?" says Mario.

The red plumber runs after Frighter Fly, punching the icy bricks above him. Frighter Fly hops and leaps every way he can, while ice drops begin dripping off, stinging Mario if he gets in contact with one.

"Okay, if I can't punch you over from underneath…" Mario find an opening and leaps to the top level. "…then I guess I have to take you head on!"

Frighter Fly grabs hold of one last POW block. "Bring it, reddie!"

The two stare into each other's faces. Luigi finally knocks over the Fighter Fly, and looks up at the showdown between his red-clad brother and the red fly.

"Come on, bro!" says Luigi as he makes his way up.

Frighter Fly hops toward Mario. Mario bolts toward Frighter Fly. They charge closer and closer. Frigher Fly makes another strong leap.

"_Ha, knew it!"_ Mario assures himself, and he leaps forward and swings his hammer where he timed Frighter Fly would land. But Frighter Fly simply beats his wings hard and stays a float, while Mario misses his mark.

"Ha, you missed!" Jeers Frighter Fly, and he chucks his POW block straight down. But Mario spins face-up mid-leap, and swings his hammer upwards. It connects with the POW block.

BOOOOOOM!

A huge, concussive blast erupts from the block. Luigi dives down for cover, and Mario stays unaffected. Unfortunately for Frighter Fly, the epicenter of the blast comes right in front of his face.

"Noooooooo!" he screams, as the badly battered Fighter Fly falls to the bottom of the chamber, and gets washed away down the sewer drain.

Mario and Luigi remained stunned for a few moments, in relative silence. Then Mario jumps down to Luigi, and gives a hand.

"We did it" says Mario quietly.

"We did it" says Luigi as he gets helped up.

"We did it!" they say simultaneously as they hug each other with delight. Outbursts of their laughter echo throughout the sewers.

* * *

Toad runs to the end of the valley, when General Toad and the other Toads are just about to enter it. Goombas and a lone Koopa Troopa lie unconscious around the battle site.

"Where have you been?!" shouts the general, furious to his boiling point. "Had a green shell not come by and plow through a line of Goombas, we would've never come back for you!"

"I'm sorry sir!" Toad says, dipping his head down and slightly shaking in place. "But I…"

"Why didn't _you_ wait by the windmill like I told you to? That thing was blowing like crazy over here and blew our cover, literally! And it's so busted, that a windmill blade is blocking the door. We wasted our time trying to bust you out of there, thinking you were still trapped in there. When really, you were frolicking off who knows where!"

"But, sir…"

"So where did you run off to, captain, huh?! What was so important, that you had to drop everything and endanger the mission?"

"I…I…I saw the…the Koopa King!"

General Toad stands there stunned. The other Toads all frantically chatter to each other in fear.

"You…_saw_…the Koopa King?" the general says as calmly as he can.

"Y-yes, sir! And he's got plans, _big_ plans, for the Mushroom Kingdom!"

The other Toad captains bicker more feverishly now.

General Toad walks up close to Toad, staring him straight in the eyes. "Let's go, soldiers. Mission's over. We're packing up and reporting back to the princess." He starts walking back, talking over his shoulder. "Our comrade Toad is going to have some _major_ reporting to do!"

* * *

Mario and Luigi reach an exit of the sewers, leaning on each other for support. They can just see the outlining light from the manhole cover above them.

"Well, that was quite an adventure, wasn't it?" says Mario

"Sure was; nothing like it!" says Luigi. The two start climbing up a ladder to the surface. "You think we'll ever have more adventures like that again?"

Just as Luigi lifts of the manhole cover, a huge, cheering crowd surrounds them. The two are shocked with delight, as the people applaud. Pauline stands the closest to them, waving and blowing a kiss in Mario's direction. The two brothers grow a bit red with shy embarrassment.

"Three cheers for the Mario Brothers!" cries Pauline over the bustling crowd.

"Hurray!" shouts one.

"You go, Luigi!" says another

"You saved our city!"

"My heroes!"

They all swarm the brothers, lifting them high above their heads and parading them through Brooklyn, shouting, "Mario! Mario! Mario! Mario!" Mario and Luigi wave their hands out to the crowd, bright smiles all around.

"Yes, Weegee," says Mario, "I think we'll have many more adventures to come!"

* * *

**Author's Note: For those who are reading this story, I thank you! I tried to make this adaptation of the origin story (centered on the arcade game "Mario Bros") as faithful as possible to the characters that come from this series, as well as a bit of a spin of my own. I might be a bit busy from time to time, but I still eagerly want to tackle adapting as many Mario games as feasibly possible! Stay tuned, and thanks again!**


	5. Plumbers, Under Construction (Part 1)

"You've got to tell her."

"Me? Why me? Why not you?"

"You have all the facts; first hand. I've already told her all I can report, but you still have some things that she'll want to know."

"But…I can't!"

"You have to."

"But you'll deliver the message better."

"I'm telling you…!"

The large doors swing open. Captain Toad and General Toad look away from each other, frozen in place directly in front of the doorway. Princess Peach stands before them, looking down to them a little confused.

"I can hear your 'whispers' through the door" she says. "A simple knock would've sufficed."

The two toads bow before the princess. General Toad looks up, looking slightly perturbed and exhausted. "Please excuse…our sudden call, but…" the general glares at a worrisome Captain Toad, "this young soldier here has some things you'd need to hear…from him personally."

"Oh, something else?" says Peach.

Captain Toad faces the princess, having a hard time looking her in the eyes. "I…I…I saw…the Koopa King!"

Peach steps back in shock. "Eeep! Are you sure?"

"Yes. I never felt so scared in my life before I saw the face of evil!" he whimpered.

Peach stepped back into her bedroom, beckoning the two in with her without a word. She began to feverishly pace back and forth. "What was he doing?" she asked without looking at either Toad.

"Some of his troops were there." Captain Toad continues, "And there was a giant pipe, where they were taking strange stuff out of."

"I see." The princess' mind raced. After a few minutes, she began to recompose herself, and then turns to the two Toads, a bit uptight. "Are they still there?"

"No, princess." The two Toads say simultaneously. "They just left after we came by." General Toad continued. "Nice and tidy to my surprise."

Princess Peach relaxed a bit, and then gave a look of determination. "Well then. Let's go take a look at that pipe. You two, meet me at the castle entrance. Not a word of this to anyone else…yet. I need to have a little chat with my guardian."

* * *

Mario and Pauline walk along the East River together, viewing all the trees about to bloom. They also stop by a pier to take in the view of all the boats passing through. As the two lean over the rail, Mario looks over to Pauline. Her burgundy hair and spring pink dress blow in the gentle breeze coming off the river, the sun shines off her smooth skin, and he watches as she takes a deep breath.

"It's so much nicer today." She beams as she turns to Mario.

He pulls his red cap over his eyes, blushing. "Y-Yes, it is."

Pauline gives off a little giggle, causing Mario to blush even more. "Oh, Mario! Relax a little more! It's certainly not every day that _both_ of us have the whole day off."

"I know. I'm-a saving every moment of this day." He looks up toward the East River. "It was-a over a week ago that those crazy creatures invaded this place. And yet look how nice it looks already!"

"You wouldn't expect any less from the Wrecking Crew, Corp. They tear everything worn down to the ground, and then reconstruct almost just as quickly. I wonder how they do it?"

"Well, I bet my brother will know. He's applying for the job as we speak."

"Wait, Luigi isn't going to be a plumber anymore, with you?"

"Oh no. He said that with all the 'plumbing' we did for Brooklyn, cleaning out all the nasty critters, he needs a short reprieve from all that. So he's trying something a bit different for a while. And I'm sure he'll make it into the Wrecking Crew, Corp just fine. With all the fixing up they still need to do within the city, they're going to need every helping hand they can get."

"Then what about you?"

"Well, I'm-a still a plumber through and through! However, after the big commemorative celebration the mayor gave my bro and I, we're-a both getting some compensation for our free work. So technically, I don't have to work for a month or so. Regardless," Mario props himself higher on the pier railing, "if a pipe gets a bit wound up, they clog 'em, I clear 'em!"

Pauline smirks a bit. "Well, nothing certainly stops our plucky resident hero."

Mario gets back down. "Plucky?" He taps his stomach. "I'll have you know this is-a lean, mean, muscly storage. In case I'll really need everything I've got."

She leans in a bit closer to Mario. "Mm-hm. And why don't you use that 'safe-keeping' for something like, I don't know, your height?"

"Oh this again." He says nonchalantly. "What I lack in height, I make up for with a spring in my step. Why, I'd like to see some big palooka try to beat me down to size!"

She laughs, "Of course, I should know. We grew up together. You, Luigi, me. We were a team back in the orphanage."

"And here we are." Mario leans in toward Pauline. "Full-time workers, with the world at our fingertips."

Pauline rests her head on top of Mario's. "If only this day could last forever."

Mario blushes a bit, and then also leans on Pauline's side, with his hand over hers on the railing. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

Toadsworth enters Peach's bedroom, as she sits patiently on her bedside.

"My word, princess! What seems to be the trouble? I heard that you'll be off on some important business."

"I am," Peach replies, "and I'm going to be leaving the safety of our capital..."

"What?" gasps Toadsworth. "Good heavens, what for?"

"…to infiltrate an operation by the Koopa Troop."

"WHAT?! N-N-No! You mustn't! The Toad Council, and I, have highly cautioned you from ever leaving the castle grounds, let alone outside the capital. Other than those two places, we have little to no control over any other territory. We're struggling to keep what little of our kingdom afloat."

Peach looks down at her gloved hands. "You said that I am the best hope of protecting our kingdom, correct?"

Toadsworth calms down a bit. "Yes, princess."

"And when I become old enough, I will be ready to take the throne after my father, right?"

"Yes, but…"

Peach's hands began to glow with a pink aura. "Then I'm ready."

"…but, princess, don't you think you're rushing into this too quickly?"

"I have no choice!" she shouted, standing straight up. She immediately calmed herself down a bit, then continued, "_We_ have no choice. The new Koopa King is amassing a new army, and it could be any day now that they march upon our doorstep. If another war is to come, we must be ready to act, not cower. Time is of the essence. And as for me, you've taken care of me well, Toadsworth, and helped me train to hold the mantle fit of a princess. Now more than ever, I must prove that I have earned that title." She walks toward the door, and then stops to face Toadsworth. "And my first act as ruling princess, I will make the first move toward the Koopa Troop, and remind them just who they're about to deal with." And with that, she walks out of the room, and down the hall.

Toadsworth stood there, stunned, for several seconds. "Our little girl, all grown up…" Then he shakes his head and begins to frantically run after her. "Princess, wait! At least let me go with you!"

* * *

The next day, Mario is helping out a woman who hired him to fix a stubborn leak under her sink.

"And that should patch things up for a bit!" says Mario, "I'd say we let it settle together for about an hour before we continue."

"Alright" she replies, "Thanks again for coming!"

"All in a day's work, mam" he stands up, wiping his gloves clean with his towel, "Hey, do you mind if I borrow your phone? My brother might be on-break, and I'd like to check up on him, if you don't mind?"

"No problem! Go right ahead."

Mario happy dials the number for the public phone by the construction site. To his relief, Luigi picks up the call.

"Hello?" says Luigi nervously.

"Oh, Luigi! Looks like you picked up the phone first."

"Hehe, yeah, I know some other construction crew members usually stand by the phone. Although given the circumstances, I guess they shifted me to some phone-sitting."

"So how _is_ your new job? Is it at least giving you an ease of mind?"

Silence over the phone for a few seconds. "Look, everything is all right, for me at least. For a few other workers, though, they weren't so fortunate. Some guys fell through a floor board, others got knocked off by something. Just today, four guys were sent home already from injuries like that…" A yell comes over Luigi's end of the phone.

"Mamma mia! What was-a that?"

"Oh no, there goes another one! Sorry, bro, but it seems like I've got to go. We're a bit thinned out already."

"Oh, well, okay Weegee. Hope everything goes well for you over there."

"Thanks! See you tonight!"

Just as Mario hangs up the phone, there's a pounding sound at the front door. The woman hurries to open the door, a bit confused.

"Good heavens honey! What happened to you?!"

A burly man hobbles into the doorway, clasping his fully bandaged right leg. He curses as he drags the damaged leg all the way into the living room. After he finally sits down, he mutters, "Stupid ladder!"

Mario walks over to the living room to check on the man. He immediately notices his construction worker uniform, just barely fitting over his muscular body. The woman rushes from the kitchen with a couple of ice packs and hands them to her husband as she sits down beside him. "So what happened to your leg?" she asks.

"Rrgg! That damn ladder's what happened! I swear it was holding up properly before I climbed it. But before I knew it, three-fourths the ways up, it just buckles and falls right over! Landed on my good leg, too!"

"Excuse me, sir," starts Mario, "did you say that ladder _buckled_? Just like that?"

"Hell yeah, I said it! Only, the sudden clank-like sound it made didn't quite sound like the bending of metal. Some idiot must have hit it the wrong way…"

The husband starts ranting off on who did the deed, but at this point, Mario isn't listening. He begins to think about the number of accidents suddenly coming up. And why wasn't the foreman letting the public know of this yet?

_"Something doesn't sound right,"_ Mario ponders, _"and perhaps…Luigi might be in danger! After I finish with this plumbing, I better head over to that construction site, for some hands-on investigating."_

* * *

"So you got the demolition ready?"

"Almost. My soldiers are a bit clumsy. Couldn't we create some better workers out of anything else? Did we have to use eggplants and wrenches?"

"Hey, that's all you had for me in your office to make do with! You wanted better soldiers out of inanimate objects, get a fruit basket, or a chainsaw, or something."

"I don't know what your kind has for offices, but here, you wouldn't expect a foreman to have a fancy-shmancy office. Comes with the job."

"Speaking of jobs, how long until you'll be ready?"

"Heh! Tomorrow evening at best. I still got a reputation to maintain, you know!"

"Ha ha! Never thought you'd steep so low toward sabotage! I like that!"

* * *

It was the late afternoon when Mario arrives at the entrance to the construction site. A grated fence runs all around the site, and the skeletal frame of a few buildings is already towering above the complex. The construction workers are still clanking and hammering through their last hour of their shift. The grated gates are closed to the public, but Mario does spot someone sitting by the entrance behind a small folding table.

This man is very tall, but wearing an extremely large overcoat, which covers nearly his entire body, except for his legs. His face is also hidden behind an open newspaper he was holding in front of him. From what wasn't covered, he was wearing a construction hard hat, white gloves, black pants, and…pointed shoes.

Mario slowly approaches the strange man. "Excuse me, sir? I was wondering…"

"We got openings for the Wrecking Crew all the time." The weird man never even lowers his newspaper, but he does point his right finger down toward the table, where there are application papers and a pen. "Just enter the information the sheet wants to know, sign your name, and come here the next day; pronto."

Mario stands there dumbfounded for a second. "Okay…" Mario picks up the pen and scribbles down his name and necessary info. "That's really it?"

"You deaf? Blast this construction site's noisy machines! Anyway, welcome to the Wrecking Crew."

_"Hm, that felt too easy…"_ Mario walks away from the table. "Well, thanks. I'll be here tomorrow."

As the plumber walks back to his apartment, the bizarre man peaks above his newspaper, making his pointed nose visible enough. "Wah, what a lame job this is! I don't know how my cuz got me into this…"


	6. Plumbers, Under Construction (Part 2)

"Here it is, princess" says Toad.

Princess Peach stands before the large pipe the Koopa Troop was looking at. Captain Toad, General Toad, and Toadsworth stand on either side of her. The morning sunlight just barely sheds some light into the quiet valley. The metal contraptions the Koopa Troop collected the other day are set to a side, covered by tarps.

"So this is the Special Pipe?" says Peach in slight awe.

"I thought it could never be found." says General Toad.

"Oh, it can be found," Peach corrects, "but normally it doesn't stay in one place for too long."

"Maybe Bowser did something to it?" says Captain Toad.

"I don't think so," says Toadsworth. "You can't change the nature of where the Special Pipe goes or not…"

"But…" starts Peach. "You can block the pipe, with enough powerful magic…"

"W-wait!" exclaims Toadsworth. "I never said it was _impossible_ to tamper with the Special Pipe's location! _If_ the Koopa King is that powerful, who knows if he created some sort of booby-trap if someone else tries to tamper with it, too?"

"Well, we don't, Toadsworth. And besides, I've been honing my skills for years, and this will be a good first test of my power."

Toadsworth sighs, "Alright, princess. Be careful of your limits."

"Right. General and captain? I want you to analyze those objects the Koopa Troop retrieved, and then sabotage them."

The two Toads stand straight and salute. "Yes, mam!" they shout simultaneously, and then run toward the covered objects.

"Toadsworth, keep your eyes and ears out in case the Koopa Troop returns. This will take a while."

"I'll never let anything go unseen or unheard!" he says enthusiastically.

Princess Peach takes a few steps forward toward the Special Pipe. She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, bows her head a bit, and clasps her hands together. A pink glow begins to develop around her gloved hands, and a pink aura grows at the entrance to the Special Pipe.

_"I hope this goes well…"_ worries Toadsworth.

* * *

The next morning, Mario and Luigi walk side by side to the construction site. They each wear their own construction uniforms, with hard hats on, and a hammer in their belt. The one exception to their outfits compared to the other workers is their white gloves they use for plumbing. After walking through the entrance, all the workers file in line toward the employee time clock to punch in.

"I'm so happy you're joining me at work, bro!" says Luigi.

"No problem! Gotta keep an eye on _my_ bro" chuckles Mario.

Luigi punches his time card in first. "I hope we get to work together. Not many of the others are up for even small talk."

Mario punches in next. "Well, at least there will be-a lunch break."

"Ha ha, of course you'd think of that!"

All the construction workers gather together an open area. "So what's-a happening now?" Mario asks Luigi.

"ATTENTIOOOOOOOOOON!" bellows a booming voice over a megaphone. Mario and a few others cover their ears as they all look up toward a metal tower. Leaning over the office balcony on the top level of the tower is a burly man. He is wearing a burnt orange construction vest, which clashes visually with his yellow hard hat and purple shirt. "All right, men, now listen up! We just barely kept on schedule yesterday, and I want the structure of the _all _new buildings done by tonight! So get your hands dirty and your elbows greasy!" And with that, the man turns back into his office.

"And that's Foreman Spike for you." Luigi cringes.

"Is-a it too late to take a plumbing order?" Mario half-smirks.

"Don't worry. In a few weeks, we'll both be back to plumbing together."

"I'd like that."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Spike's office, the phone rings on his desk. Spike grudgingly picks it up.

"Wrecking Crew, Corporation; we build you up by tearing you down. What's your deal, now?"

"Geez, man, don't have to be so loud" says a voice on the other end, "You forget my ears already?"

"I can shout whenever I want! And 'less you forget who's in charge here!"

I bit of a sneer comes through the other line. "Okay, _boss_. Just thought I'd let you know a bit of trouble."

"_Trouble?_ What's the matter with the explosives now?"

"Oh, everything is going according to plan…for now."

"Wha-?!"

"Now keep your hard hat on! Anyway, the Cubrick keeps track of all our minions, on top of creating some, and for some reason, it's picked up some extra signals.

"Well what the hell does that mean?"

"Well, since the Cubrick is like a field generator that can bend the physics of this world into the physics of my world, and it's positioned under your construction site, it must mean that someone around your site can also gain access to this same power source."

Spike angrily pounds his fist on his desk. "Blast it all!" He leans his standing weight on the back of his chair, tightly gipping the back. "You better figure out what that blip thing is, or I'm holding you back on your promise."

"Hey! First off, remember who _gave_ you this opportunity. Second, I'm still planting explosives all under New York City. Unless you want a _further_ delay…"

"Enough!" Spike looks down at his chair and notices that the chair he had been holding is now bent and twisted.

"Look, you're a foreman, right? A reputable leader? Well, how about you do some scouting and be 'on point'?"

Spike mulls it over for a second, and then a huge grin spreads beneath his beard. "Maybe I will." He looks over to a huge mallet he has leaning against a wall. "I'll send some of the minions snooping, and maybe knock some sense into my crew!"

* * *

The next few hours ends up being one misfortune after another. It first starts off with Mario and Luigi being assigned to separate tasks. Mario's first task is to help in the "basement" sections of the buildings.

"These structures don't look right" Mario grumbled as he began moving materials around. "If there was-a plumbing system installed, how the heck will it fit without ending up all twisted, and just _asking_ for complications down the line? Hmph! At least it will be-a some potential business for me here outside of construction…"

Suddenly, a clanging sound is heard behind him. He quickly turns his head, but nothing is there.

He shrugs, "Ah, nothing. It's-a construction site, I suppose."

Then, a loud bang is heard, making Mario jump. In fact, he jumps a little bit higher than he last remembered he could. He looks in the direction of the bang, and just barely sees a shadowed, oval-like shape dart behind a steel beam up a floor.

"Why you…" Mario looks to see if anyone was watching him. All the other construction workers are busy working on their assigned jobs, paying no attention to the sounds Mario heard. Then Mario carefully climbs his way up to the next floor using a ladder. "Geez, these loud noises. Never gets this loud when I'm-a plumbing. And there'd be echoes, too."

When he reaches the spot where he saw the shadow, he doesn't see anything, but a worker spots him, and he gets scolded at for straying off. So Mario gets assigned to some upper floors, where workers are making the final touches to the structure.

"Maybe I'm-a just a little unsettled with the activity of the construction site," Mario says under his breath as he clinks his hammer on a beam to get it into place. Then he spots something jump around in one of the nearby construction buildings. He turns his head again, but then loses sight of it. Then the same jumpy shadow darts just beneath him. He looks down, but even though he swears he could have seen a mini-dinosaur…a co-worker begins to berate him for slacking off.

So now Mario gets sent to the middle floors. Fortunately, he can see Luigi helping with cement in a nearby clearing. Unfortunately, another clang interrupts Mario's concentration. "Oh now wha…" Before Mario can turn, a slew of steel rods and bolts fall from above like a sudden downpour. The slew of steel pelts some ladders and doors, and some of the construction workers nearby Mario get hit as well. Without even thinking, Mario jumps out of the way, and hits his head on a steel beam above when he jumps higher than he expected. Strangely enough, this barely fazes him, and he slides down the side of another beam, before landing relatively unharmed a few floors down. However, a few bolts fall his way. He thrusts his hammer out of his belt, and keeps it over his head, shielding him from the falling debris.

When it's all over, Mario looks around him. A few ladders and doors are completely smashed, and about a dozen co-workers gets injured from the raining debris. Mario jumps and climbs down to ground level to check on his brother. He quickly finds Luigi trying to look through a circle of construction workers standing around a fallen co-worker.

"Mario!" cries Luigi as he turns to see his brother. "Thank goodness you're alright! I saw you working up there just a moment ago, and I was worried you were one of the unlucky ones!"

"Well, let me tell you about unlucky…" starts Mario, wagging his finger in frustration.

"Hey, you, with the white gloves!" booms a familiar voice. The two brothers turn to the side to see Foreman Spike approaching them.

"Which one of us?" Luigi almost stammers.

"The shorter one!" Spike stands almost directly over Mario. Although he isn't the tallest man on the construction site, his bulky frame made up for it and gave off the feeling like being towered over by a mother bear.

"Yes, foreman?" says Mario, a bit crossed.

"My construction project is getting stalled because some of my workers here get injured from falling debris, and I see you coming down, unscathed, from where the debris fell." While Spike is berating him, Mario sizes the foreman up to himself. While Spike is not as tall as Mario, his arms seem thicker than his legs to give the impression of an even bigger size. His eyes are covered by both his dark sunglasses and the shadow created by his hard hat. His nose is very pointed and rosy, and protrudes right over his overgrown beard and mustache.

"Explain yourself!" bellows Spike, jabbing one of his meaty fingers at Mario's chest.

At this point, Mario notices how grimy and dusty his fingers are. But he quickly looks back up to Spike's searing face, and replies, "You know who I am, right? Mario? Top plumber of New York? I may not be a rough cut like you construction guys got to be, but being limber is part of being a plumber. And as for the incident just now, I didn't see where those materials rained from, but I think there are some loose screws up there."

"Are you suggesting my crew doesn't do a good job?" yells Spike.

"No, but you might…"

"_Excuse me?!_" Spike yells. He then turns to Luigi. "Hey, you! Is your brother telling me I'm not doing my job right?"

"What? No sir! Not at all sir!" Luigi says quickly.

"Hmph!" Spike turns back to Mario, and lowers his glasses a bit, staring him down with his dark brown eyes. "Well, I got my eyes on you. I better not see your face again when something goes wrong!" And with that, he storms back to his office.

Later, at lunch break, Luigi gets ready to unpack his food. Then he notices Mario walking toward the foreman's office tower. "Oh no" he mutters as he runs after his brother. "Hey, Mario! What are you doing?"

"Oh, hey bro" says Mario. "I'm just thinking."

"I hope that's all. We don't want to annoy the foreman again."

"That's just what I'm thinking about. Has anyone seen what the foreman does around the site?"

"No, but everyone's so busy, who has time to see what others are doing?"

Mario gives him an annoyed look. "Then what about all these mishaps that have happened? Why hasn't the conditions been improved by the foreman since it began?"

Luigi stops to think for a moment. "That is the strangest thing around here. But I'm no foreman, and I don't know what all his responsibilities are. How can we prove Spike is knocking off the job?"

"We go talk to him. Now." Mario starts to walk again toward the office. At the base of the tower, Luigi grabs hold of Mario's arm.

"Wait a minute! You can't talk to him; not after he warned you that he doesn't what to see your face again…"

"_When_ something goes wrong. And that's what's bothering me right now. Why would he say "when", when "if" makes more sense to say when you're supposed to be unsure what's going on?

Luigi lets go of his arm. "Wait, he said that?"

Mario nods, "So that must mean something bad will happen again…"

Suddenly, a pile of barrels nearby knock over, and some weird, oversized eggplants come walking behind them. They look a bit dazed and confused, but then focus their attention on Mario and Luigi.

"Mama mia!" the two brothers cry.

* * *

It is slightly past mid-day, and Toadsworth stands guard by the ground entrance to the valley when the two other Toads walk up to him.

"We've finished dismantling all those hidden contraption thingies!" says Captain Toad happily.

General Toad looks down at his pocket watch, and then toward Princess Peach, who is still standing in front of the Special Pipe. "Will she be finished soon?"

"She should be done at any minute now" assures Toadsworth. "She has been holding up quite well for a first-run."

Suddenly, all three of them hear faint flapping sounds coming from over the valley.

"Oh no! The Koopa Troop must be coming now!"

All three of them run toward Peach, with Toadsworth sprinting the quickest. "Princess! Princess! There's little time left! We must make haste!"

At that moment, Peach's hands and the Special Pipe stop glowing pink, and she falters back a bit. "Sorry it took a while, but I think it's done. Nobody should be able to go through this pipe for a while."

"You did great princess," rushes Toadsworth, "but that'll have to do for now. Now, we must flee before the Koopa Troop catches us!"

"Right."

The four of them race to the valley passage, and just make it out of sight before dozens of Amazin' Flyin' Hammer Bros fly directly above the valley. Peach stops running for a moment and peaks around the corner to take a look at the Koopa Troop. The three Toads stop and turn back to the princess.

"What are you waiting for, your highness? We can't be seen by them!" whispers Toadsworth.

"And we won't," assures Peach, "but we must make sure we did not come here in vain."

Peach continues watching the Koopa Troop as they land. Bowser's platform is the first to land. A confident grin grows on the Koopa King. "Alright, my baddies, let's pack up what materials we got and check up on our Sidestepper squad!"

Some Goombas and Koopa Troopas walk up to the tarps, while a few others walk to the Special Pipe. Peach holds her breath. Then, in a matter of seconds, confusion spreads.

"Lord Bowser!" shouts one Koopa, "All our special supplies we gathered from the other world have been trashed!"

"Lord Bowser!" cries a Goomba, "We can't get in to the Special Pipe! Some force is keeping us out!"

"WHAT?!" bellows Bowser. He stomps up to the tarps, and pulls them off. The contraptions they collected now look like a junkyard haystack full of metal shrapnel. He trashes a few metal pieces as he turns around toward the Special Pipe. Peach smirks and beams to herself. Bowser reaches a hand out into the pipe, but a pink, swirling force field suddenly materializes like a window screen, and propels him back a bit.

"Yes!" Peach cheers quietly, while fist pumping.

"How…?" The Koopa King scowls, then his fists clench. "That princess…" A deep growl echoes out of his throat. Then flickers of orange glow at the back of his throat as he opens his mouth and stands a bit more upright. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Bowser roars as he bends forward. A huge, wide jet of flame bursts from his mouth directly into the Special Pipe. For a good solid minute, the heat seared across the valley. Even Peach could barely stand it. When he finally finished his outburst, the Special Pipe still laid there unharmed.

"That princess! She has grown stronger and sooner than I expected!"

"Not as strong as you, my king!" stammers a Koopa Paratroopa quietly next to him.

"You!" Bowser points directly at the yelping Paratroopa. "Get over to the Brockland Kingdom, and make sure they quicken our diplomatic progress. Our time table has moved now." He hulks back over to his platform, when a Goomba steps in his way.

"But…what about our forces already through the Special Pipe?" says the Goomba. "What's going to happen to them!"

"Them?" huffs Bowser, "They're stuck there now. Because of that barrier, there's no way to go in…and there's no way to come back!" And with that, he steps back onto the platform. The rest of his troops follow his example, and they all fly away.

Captain Toad taps on Peach's side. "Are we done, now?"

Peach sighs, "We're done _here_, yes. But we have much bigger problems to prepare for. Let's head back to the castle; I'm exhausted."


	7. Plumbers, Under Construction (Part 3)

"Princess? …princess…princess!" Toadsworth whispers to the sleeping Princess Peach. However, she still gentle snoozes. Toadsworth now slightly pokes his walking stick on Peach's shoulder. "Princess, wake up."

"Zzmm…wha?" Peach stirs a bit before slowly half-opens her eyes. She sits up and rubs her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's early morning, princess." Toadsworth spreads some nearby curtains, letting light into the room. "The sun is rising, and the diplomatic conferences are today. You must be prepared for their arrival. In fact, the king of the Pipemaze Kingdom is on his way in an hour."

"I know." She stretches a bit. "Actually, I just had my first meeting, with some Subcon residents."

"Really? Oh, right, they live in the dream world. So, how did it go?"

"Well, in short, they will not be giving aid to us against the Koopa Troop."

"Oh, blast it all! Why would their leader not be interested in our endeavors?"

"Well…their leader passed away…"

His face grows red with embarrassment. "Oh…my apologies to my earlier outburst. Are they alright?"

Peach pulls off the covers and sits on the side of the bed. "The citizens are in mourning right now. It was a bit of a struggle to keep my dreams from being suppressed by their emotions. In the end though, they wish us good luck, and they will try to get through their depression to be ready the next time we may be in great need." Peach stands up. She is wearing a full-length pink nightgown. "Anyway, you're right to wake me up. I have a packed schedule to keep, and a day full of meetings." She walks over to her private bathroom. "Wish me luck!"

* * *

The group of eggplant beings step toward Mario and Luigi, their hands reaching for their hammers hanging in their belts.

"Why now?" moaned Luigi. "Why me?"

"Okay, when I meant there to be trouble, I seriously didn't mean _right now_" protests Mario.

"Of course not," Luigi says sarcastically as he rolls his eyes. "We got more pressing things to worry about…like figuring out where the heck these Eggplant Men came from!"

The Eggplant Men start to run toward the brothers at that moment. In response, Mario whips out his hammer and whacks one off to the side. Seeing one of their fellow selves go limp from a mallet wallop, the rest of the bunch of Eggplant Men scatter.

"Oh no you don't!" says Mario, chasing a few in one direction.

"Get back here, you!" cries Luigi who chases a couple others in another direction.

Meanwhile, in the office tower, Foreman Spike stands in front of a window, looking out and down toward the two brothers chasing the Eggplant Men. He grunts and grits his teeth in disgust. Then he walks over to his desk and picks up the phone to dial a number.

"It's me" he says flatly.

"Gee, I have so many friends in New York, I couldn't possibly tell who you are" jibes a voice on the other end. "Okay, okay, I know your temper. What's up?"

Spike growls. "Listen you! I got some good news and some bad news." He walks back to the window, eyeing Mario chasing down an Eggplant Man. "Good news: I think I found our individuals who can use our power source."

"Excellent! Who is it…I mean, who are they?"

"That's the bad news; they are a couple of my employees, and one of them is a real pain in the gut. Worse still, they're on to us."

"Well, that sucks for you. It's been fun while it lasted, too…"

"Now you hold your ass down!" roared Spike, "Neither of us is walking out of this while the other takes the hit! And I'll have you know that'll _rat_ you out before you do!"

"Hey, _hey_! First off, I never said I was leaving you! There's too much potential destruction to waste right now. Second, you know I ain't a _rat_! I take offense to that!"

"Just zip that lip and continue finishing up those explosives. We need that done now!"

"Finishing the last one as we speak. So, what about our little pests? Need help up there once I'm done down here?"

"Hell no! I don't what anyone seeing _your_ face around here! Not even me! I'm sending my minions out to buy us some time. _You_ stay put!"

"Wait," squeaked the voice, "no way! I'm c…"

But the foreman hung up before the client could finish his sentence.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Princess Peach, but after our own tumultuous establishment, we do not wish to be involved in global matters. Especially for our own princess."

"I understand, minister" sighs the princess, "It still means a great deal to us that you came for this meeting."

"Of course." And the minister departs from the underground room without another word.

Peach leans back in her chair. She sits in a small, dim room with only a semi-long table and two chairs. Two Toads from General Toad's brigade stand on either side of her, slightly behind her.

One of them holds a scroll and a pen, checking off a list. "That puts the Waffle Kingdom also under the list of kingdoms that wish not to help outright" he says.

"At least a couple have said that they'd give us some supplies to help fight the Koopa Troop" says the other Toad.

"We must still hope for at least one kingdom's full aid" says Peach. "Our numbers may not be enough to withstand our enemies if we stand alone."

"In that case," says the Toad with the scroll, "our next guest is from…actually, the Beanbean ambassador said they can't make it. So that makes the ambassador from the Banana Kingdom next…"

* * *

Luigi knocks out the last Eggplant Man, right back in front of the office tower. Mario runs back up to him.

"Got them all?" asks Mario.

"Oh yeah," says Luigi, "but I think we caught the attention from almost every other construction worker; most of them _un_friendly."

Mario frowns. "Great; more enemies. Hey, Weegee? Is it just me, or are you barely exhausted, even after all that running around the site we just did?"

Luigi looks puzzled. "Actually, yeah. Weird, although I have no complaints about that."

"I've-a never felt this invigorating, not since…we attacked the Shellcreepers' lair…" Mario gasps. "Oh no! What if these new plant men are-a related!"

Luigi nearly drops his hammer. "Oh no no no no! We better not go through this again!"

Mario puts a hand on his shoulder. "And hopefully we won't. Look, let's-a go have a chat with our favorite foreman, and see if he knows how to put a stop to this before things get any worse."

Just then, dozens upon dozens of Eggplant Men spring out from behind all sorts of places. The purple vegetables scramble in every direction, knocking materials over, sabotaging power tools, and chasing after the construction workers.

"You know, you really should stop staying things like that!" says a worried Luigi.

Mario quickly glances over the chaos happening around him. "Okay, _new_ plan. You go talk over with your construction buddies. See if you guys can create a blockade of sorts and keep these guys in. We don't want any of them escaping into the rest of New York!"

Luigi grows a bit pale. "Okay, but what about you?"

"I'm-a going to have a bit more than a chat with the foreman!" And with that, Mario runs to the office tower.

Mario is immediately ambushed by a few Eggplant Men before the first ladder. His trusty hammer dispatches them quickly. After he climbs up the first ladder, he looks back and sees a bunch of Eggplant Men bumping and tripping over each other at the bottom.

"Good. Looks like they can't climb ladders." Then something small and hard knocks off the back of Mario's head. He turns around and sees a dinosaur-like shadow running around a beam. Mario chases after the creature, turns the corner of the beam, and swings out his hammer. "Gotcha, you…you…" Standing before him are three, weird, new creatures. They sort of look like wrenches, but are as large as an Eggplant Man, and have their own set of arms and legs sprouting out each end. One end of the wrench, where his head presumably is, shapes up to be his mouth, with a set of eyes resting on top. "…wrenches?" Mario flinches in disbelief, which allows the Gotcha Wrenches to leap at him.

Mario runs up a few sets of ladders in hopes of evasion, but unlike the Eggplant Men, the Gotcha Wrenches are capable of climbing the ladders. The pursuers also try to throw little bolts at Mario. "Okay, how about I throw a _wrench_ of my own at them!" After he finishes climbing another ladder, Mario takes his hammer at the ready. When the three Gotcha Wrenches start climbing the ladder, Mario gives it one strong whack! To each of their surprise, one whack was all it took to send the who ladder crumbling down. "Huh!" Mario scratches his head. "Thought it take a few more hits to knock it down. I guess 'wrecking' has its uses."

Mario looks up to the top floor, seeing that he is only a few floors away. Unfortunately, a few more Eggplant Men and Gotcha Wrenches were also waiting at the top, and coming down. "Here I go again!" Mario lets out a battle cry and runs up the ladders. Swinging his hammer wildly, he knocks over each foe that dared approach him. He also crushes a couple of doors frames, dents a few beams, and knocks down another ladder. Under half an hour, Mario makes it to the top floor.

Mario looks over the balcony, and sees the other construction workers. To his relief, they begin to fight back against the Eggplant Men. The heavy machinery was used to block all the exits. Luigi leads a few construction workers toward a newly arriving mob of Gotcha Wrenches.

"That's-a my bro!" smiles Mario. Then his face hardens. "Now, the foreman!" He curses under his breath. He approaches the office door and opens it. It creaks a bit as it opens…but otherwise not a single other sound. Mario hesitantly steps in. "Hello?" No response. Mario looks around the room, but finds it mostly empty, with the exception of an empty desk and chair. "Mr. Foreman?"

"That's Foreman Spike, _sir_, to you!" growls a familiar voice. Mario whips around and lets out a muffled yelp. The door slams shut. There before him stands Spike, who was standing behind the door. In his left hand he holds a mallet over three times the size of Mario's own mallet.

"My, my." Mario swallows hard, but keeps himself composed. "What a big mallet you have."

"Oh, you noticed?" Spike seems to relax a bit, but still looks cross. He shifts his mallet from his left hand to his right. "On of a kind, and custom-made myself. All the better to wreck things with, little man."

Mario's face grows red. "You mind explaining what's-a going on here?"

"So what's the matter now?" The foreman walks around Mario. "All I hear and see is rapid progress. Efficiency to the max."

"You really don't know? Your injured workers? Tools getting broken? The strange creatures, who are-a _right outside as we speak_ I might add?! You aren't that stupid; I know that you know something's up! So spill it!"

The foreman scowls briefly, before standing right in front of Mario. "Here's the thing. I'm the foreman, the _boss_, around here. And it is my job to make sure my company's job gets things done. I also have a right to keep a few trade secrets hidden for the sake of competitive survival."

"And it is-a my right, as a worker and _employee_ of your company, that I know what you might be up to when it concerns my health and safety. And I just got a few beatings already from 'work' today!"

Spike sizes Mario up and looks him up and down. "You look pretty healthy for someone who has taken a few beatings." Then he grins. "Alright then, I'll tell you. I'm working on a large scale, secret, demolition project, and these creatures have been appearing because of it."

"What project? And are-a those, _things_, yours or not?"

Spike's grin grows larger. "That depends. Besides that, my project is catching a bit of a snag. There's a bit of an 'anomaly' I don't quite know about, and if I can't keep it in check, I won't be finished with my project."

Mario grows irritated. "So what is-a this 'big project' you have trouble with?"

Spike's grin grows even larger. "Tell you what. Since you think you're such tough stuff, how about you put your mouth where your muscle is?"

He stands back, confused. "Wait, you mean…"

"We show each other off in a test of strength and speed. If you win, I'll tell you a bit more of my plan. But if you lose…you get your punk face off of my premises."

"Hm, fine. Sounds fair enough…what's-a the conditions, though?"

Spike lets out a quick laugh, and then turns around toward the entrance door. "If you follow me onto the roof, I'll show you our little 'bonus' session."

* * *

Peach slouches back in her chair as the last ambassador leaves the room.

"I'm sorry, princess," sighs the Toad with the scroll, "but every last kingdom has passed up the offer of a proper alliance. A few have been nice enough to give us materials, but other than that…we're on our own."

"Well, at least we got some extra supplies and information we can use to at least ride out a potential war." Peach mutters.

"And with that said," says the other Toad, "I think that wraps up all our meetings for today! Can't wait to get out of this secluded bunker room!"

Peach half-smirks, "That would be nice…" Her face hardens. "Unfortunately, we still have one more meeting left."

Both Toads look at each other in confusion. Then the Toad with the scroll asks, "What do you mean? I don't have anyone else listed on my list…"

"I contacted him via a secret message, with a precise time and location. He's coming here…and if I'm right, any minute now." Her face grows dark.

"Wait, who? Who is it?" pleads the Toads. Then a thumping sound is faintly heard outside the steel door. The room quickly goes as silent as a mouse. A minute later, the door begins to slowly glow red. A bit of heat comes through the room. "Oh no! Not him!" shriek the Toads. The door glows nearly white hot. A bit of sweat comes down Peach's brow, but she reseats herself as composed and dignified as possible.

Suddenly the door bangs open, unhinging itself from the frame, and falls straight down and flat on the floor. The two Toads immediately duck behind Peach's chair and cower in fear before they even see him. Peach nearly flinches, but holds herself together with even more effort. The bit of dust clears, revealing a large yellow fist that punched a huge, circular hole where the door once stood.

"Gwahaha! You have guts for inviting me here like this, I'll give you that dear princess! But if you had known who I really was, you would have made the door a bit bigger!"

Peach sits there almost lost in thought. Then her expression grows stern. "So you are the new Koopa King the kingdoms have trebled in fear over?"

Bowser tromps up to the other end of the table, shaking the room itself. His head nearly scrapes the ceiling. He bears a smug grin. "Not just new. I'm _the_ Koopa King. Never sell your opponents short. Learned that from my father. And I _hate_ my father! So, _you_ are the new ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"A-a-actually…" stammered one of the Toads behind Peach's chair.

"I've stepped up in place of my late father, the former king of the Mushroom providences" the princess interrupts.

"Ah yes, King Toadstool. I've been told stories of how your father oppressed and ostracized those like my kind." He growls in a peeved way. "We Koopas don't like to talk about him too fondly. And I hate how you got me to bring up my father again!"

"Then why don't we talk about your people. What do they want? What do _you_ want?"

Bowser grins again. "Ah, that's easy. They want what I want. And what _I_ want is to reclaim the lands that belong to my kingdom!"

She swallows, but remains firm. "If domain in what you're after, perhaps we could negotiate a deal?"

"Not wasting time. Love it! You see, I was going to have to drag a lot of my troops toward your capitol, but if you're willing to surrender so nicely…"

"Wait, surrender? You want my _entire_ kingdom as your own?"

"Of course! It would be a waste of my ancestry if I don't take down my number one adversary."

"Then what of the other kingdoms? I've heard reports that your troops have been bullying other lands."

"Laying down the _terms_, please. Some of those kingdoms need to know their place, and keep out of affairs that the Koopa Troop must do."

"And what are your terms related to _me_?"

"Glad you ask! Either you surrender your kingdom willingly, capitol and all, to me, or we might have to reenact the Mushroom Wars a generation ago!"

The Toads yelp. Peach nearly raises a hand to her mouth to muffle a gasp. _"No! We can't go through with that again!"_ she panics to herself. "But, the castle and Toad Town are the only lands we actually control. Surely, the rest of our kingdom would suffice enough…"

Bowser slams his fist on the table, nearly breaking straight through. "It's all or nothing, princess! I want your castle! I want your riches and lands! I want it _all_!" Small flames lick of the sides of his mouth. "I've prepared my return for nearly my whole life! I need a more permanent place to stay, fitting for a king. And I've been to many kingdoms and _other_ worlds," Bowser and Peach glare at each other for a moment at the mention of 'other worlds', "but nowhere is there more power and resources as the Mushroom Kingdom. I have every right to claim what rightfully belongs to the Koopa Kingdom!"

Peach grows cross and fearful at the same time for a minute. Then she sighs, "I am sorry for any wrongdoings my father might have caused to your kind…"

Bowser crosses his arms. "Hmph! _Might_?"

"…but my most important duty is to protect _my_ people from harm. And I hope we can make still make some sort of fair treaty…"

Bowser roars, silencing Peach and nearly causing the two Toads to faint. "You know, I thought I'd be a reasonable guy, come over where you tell me, and then hand over what I need, no harm no foul. But _nooooo_! You still get as hung up as your father probably was on the sake of protecting what you don't deserve. Well, no more mister nice Koopa! I'm out!" Bowser stomps grouchily to the opening in the wall, and then turns back one more time. "And I'll still get what I want, one way, or another!" And with that he leaves for good with a scratch mark on the walls from his claws.

Peach barely moves a muscle for a whole minute. The Toads slowly and carefully peak out from behind her chair, still quivering in fear. "W-w-what now, p-p-princess?" squeaks one of the Toads.

Peach snaps out of it. She waves her head back and forth, holding her palm against her forehead. "Man, a bit too bratty, he is! But he'll be prepared." She stands up, and adjusts her crown. "Come. We must prepare, too!"

* * *

Mario follows Foreman Spike to the roof of the office tower. Once Mario stands ready, Spike puts his first two fingers in his mouth and whistles. Almost immediately, a few Eggplant Men climb onto the roof with aid from Gotcha Wrenches. They stand fairly attentive to the foreman once they all get up.

"So these _are_-a yours!" exclaims Mario.

The foreman ignores him. "You guys…set up arrangement #4.5!"

The minions gather around a nearby pile of cement bricks, and begin to organize them. Meanwhile, an Eggplant Man walks with Foreman Spike over to Mario. Spike puts an arm over Mario's shoulders, and locks him in a tight grip. All three of them face out toward the whole construction site. "Okay, chump, here's the deal." Spike digs his free hand into his left pocket, and pulls out a large, gold coin. "See this beauty?"

"Yeah," Mario nearly chokes, but then looks puzzled. "Wait, I've seen that before…"

Spike glances skeptically. "Doubt it. It's from a…foreign friend. Anyway, the challenge we have right now is finding this coin." He passes the coin to the Eggplant Man, and it scampers back to the others. Mario tries to turn his head, but remains stuck in Spike's grasp. "Whoever finds it first wins the deal. Now, don't worry; we only have to look on this roof. And I don't know more than you do of where it will be hidden, so don't jerk me off for being a cheater! All sound chipper to you?"

"No sweat!" Mario croaked.

An Eggplant Man comes back to Spike's side. "Ah good, it's ready!" He turns around, finally releasing Mario from his arm choke. Mario gasps and rubs his neck a few times. When he looks up, he sees around twenty stacks of cement bricks laid around the roof. Spike takes out his giant mallet. "You might need a hammer for this" he chuckles.

Just then, Luigi comes climbing onto the roof. "Hey bro, you here? The blockades around the perimeter are holding up so far, but…" he looks at Mario and Spike, then toward the Eggplant Men and Gotcha Wrenches huddling in a corner, and then toward the piles of cement bricks. "Did I miss something?"

"Actually, you've arrived just in time" says Spike, "Just make sure you stay out of the way while I beat your brother!"

"Don't worry, Luigi," Mario affirms, "This is just a contest; a contest I _will_ win."

Luigi smiles warily, but remains standing off to the side. Mario whips out his own hammer from his belt.

"Whenever you're ready, go for it, and I'll be right behind you!" boasts the foreman.

Mario eyes one of the concrete piles in the middle and focuses all his attention on it. Then, without a word, he sprints. Mario runs straight to the middle pile, his hammer raised back over his head. As soon as he reaches the first pile, he brings the hammer down. With one mighty whack, the cement crumples to bits. Mario looks down at the shattered pile for a moment, pleased at his quick work. Even Spike, who also just crushed his own cement pile, stops a moment, flabbergasted.

Both of them snap out of their amazement, and dig their hands quickly through the cement shards. But no coin appeared. Spike moves to the next pile first. Mario looks at the other piles, eyeing each pile. Spike makes quick work of the second pile and swings his hammer onto a third. When he moves on to the forth pile, he looks over to Mario, who is still glancing between the remaining piles.

"You giving up already, slacker?" the foreman laughs.

Mario clenches his open hand, his fist giving off a faint glow. Then Mario smiles. "Hardly; in fact, I never felt more pumped!"

Mario springs to life. Within seconds, Mario makes quick work of his second pile, and then eclipses the third. Spike and Luigi are taken aback.

"Wow, how did he get so fast?" gasps Luigi.

Barely slowing down, Mario smashes his forth pile, then a fifth, and a sixth. Spike finishes his forth and crushes a fifth. But Mario stays ever quicker than the foreman, crushing three more piles against two of Spike's.

"No! What the hell's happening?!" roars Spike as he beats down another pile. Mario gleefully and feverishly breaks down two more piles. The coin has still yet to be found, and one cement pile left. The two contestants standoff, making quick glances between each other and the cement blocks.

"Yaaaaaaah!" They both cry out and sprint toward the last standing pile. To the foreman's grief, his speed barely comes close to matching Mario's. With one final bonk, Mario swings down the hammer. The cement stack shatters, and the large gold coin comes flying into the air. It lands a short distance from the crumpled pile. Without even flinching, Mario jumps off of Spike's chest, rolls across the floor, and picks up the coin as he jumps back onto his feet.

"You did it, Mario!" cheers Luigi as he runs up to his brother.

"Yep, I got it!" says Mario. "And now," he turns to the foreman, who clutches his stomach, "it's-a time you kept your end of the bargain."

"Nrgh! Fine," Spike grumbles, "about the big project of mine. All I'm saying is the big project is for all of New York."

"Sounds kind of big," Mario crosses his arms, "even for you. When are you finishing it?"

"Then next phase…will begin today, soon."

"Wait, how? How are you going to pull that off?"

"With a little outside help."

Mario and Luigi stand back a bit, starting to get worried. "From who?"

"That would be me!" says a squeaky voice nearby. The brothers and the foreman turn toward the source of the voice. The foreman groans bitterly, while Mario and Luigi are taken aback with fright.

"Woaaaaa!" the brothers scream.

Standing before them is a giant, anthropomorphic mouse, almost double Mario's size. He has gray fur, a round head on an even rounder body, and pink inner ears. What's even weird is the fact that he's wearing pink gloves, pink stretchable sneakers, and black, pointy shades. Wrapped around by his long thin tail is a strange, glowing cube.

"A rat?!" Luigi startles.

"I'm _not_ a _rat_! I'm a _mouse_!" retorts the creature. "The name's Mouser, and _you_ are too late to stop our plans now!"


	8. Plumbers, Under Construction (Part 4)

"Hahaha! Looks like everything really is going according to plan" says Mouser with glee.

Foreman Spike briskly walks up to Mouser, rubbing his stomach with one hand and waving a finger at the rodent with the other. "This isn't a good time! I thought I'd told you stay put underground!" he shouts.

"Whatyamean? I'd say this is perfect timing, considering all the fuss you spout about these two." Mouser waves his hand toward Mario and Luigi, who still stand there in disbelief. "Did you at least set the master timer in place?"

The brothers snap out of it for a second. "Wait, what timer?" asks Mario.

"Of course I did! And if you'd please stay out of sight and let me handle things, we can do this is a neat, orderly, and destructive fashion! The last thing I want is a repeat of those reptiles and bugs running rampant in the streets, like _you_ caused last time!" Spike rants.

"You're-a going to do what now? _You _did what when?" Mario waves to try to get their attention, but the two seem to be too much on a roll to care.

"Excuse me?!" says Mouser, "What bugs? Do I look like the kind of ringleader who'd lead a bunch of _bugs_ in a raiding party _in broad daylight_? Just because I have the Cubrick, doesn't mean I made the last mess, Mr. False Accuser!" Mouser flicks his tail toward Spike, still holding the strange glowing cube.

"What's a Cubrick?" Luigi shouts as he steps to Mario's side, but to no avail.

"Why you…while you're here, give me that!" Spike quickly grabs hold of the cube. "I'm going to need a few reinforcements, besides _you_, to keep all the outliers in check!"

"Excuse me?" pesters Mario.

"You barely even know handle it, much less use it" says Mouser as he tightens his grip.

"Hello?" says Luigi, also growing annoyed.

"You'd be surprise how resourceful us New Yorkers are!" growls Spike.

"HEY!" Mario and Luigi shout simultaneously. Spike and Mouser stop tugging on the cube and look to the brothers. "Do you mind giving us your undivided attention?" says Mario.

"Of course, where are my manners?" says Mouser sarcastically. He loosens his tail around the cube, allowing the foreman to finally get a full hold of it. "As I _already_ said, the name's Mouser. Not to be confused with another rising bad boy from my home turf, but just as deadly and _way_ more charming."

"Charmed," says Mario in disgust, "but why are-a you here, away from…wherever you came from?"

"Ah yes, well, that aforementioned 'bad boy' sort of staked his claim on my old stomping grounds, and left practically nothing good left for anyone else; namely me. So when I overheard that he found a 'bridge' to other worlds, I decided to sneak my way over, and wound up here. But not without bringing along a little souvenir _I _found along the way!" He waves his hand toward the cube Spike is holding. The foreman moves it a little further out of Mouser's reach, shielding it a bit with his arms.

"So what is-a that?"

"That…" starts Mouser.

"This," interrupts Spike, "is the Cubrick. With this, I can create minions to dispose of troublesome jerks, like you!" Spike raises one hand, which gets the attention of the Eggplant Men and Gotcha Wrenches in close proximity. Soon, a small ring of minions circles the four of them.

"It does more than that!" continues an irked Mouser, "With it, _I_ can manipulate its physiological properties, and do things from my world I couldn't do here, like this!" Mouser flicks his wrists, and two round bombs materialize out of thin air into each hand.

"Yikes!" gasps Luigi, "Hey bro? I don't know about you, but I feel like our win streak is vanishing fast!"

Mario vents in frustration. "Rrrgh! We've-a fought baddies as tough as these, right?" Then Mario calms a bit, taking deep breaths. "Hey, Luigi?" he whispers, "Get out your hammer. Don't you feel_that_?"

"What are you talk…" Luigi stops. "No way. The same as last time?"

"Same as last time, indeed." Mario readies his hammer.

"Well, I'm over it." Luigi grins as he pulls out his own hammer.

"'I'm-a over it' he says" he teases.

The two brothers stand off against the two villains, staring each other down. A solid ring of minions now surrounds them. "Well I certainly didn't crawl out of the sewers to just stand around," says Mouser, "so let's brighten up the place!"

Mouser tosses one of his bombs toward Mario. Mario jumps out of the way, and the mini explosion propels him forward. "Not even a scratch?" gasps Mouser as Mario hammers him over the head.

Luigi sprints toward Spike, who uses the Cubrick to increase the size of his own mallet. "Come on! Just will it to do what I want! How hard would that be?" But Luigi already steps in front of the foreman and jabs his hammer onto the foreman's left foot.

"_That's_ for all the stress I was supposed to vent out on this job!" Luigi flips the hammer onto the foreman's other foot, not even allowing the foreman to finish his scream in pain. "And _this_ is my saying I quit!"

"Argh! Not unless I _fire_ you first!" bellows Spike. He raises the Cubrick out and from off the side, a fireball comes spiraling toward Luigi. Luigi shrieks as he jumps high and out of the way.

Mouser throws one bomb after the other, constantly materializing a bomb in an open hand. Mario slowly backs off, swinging his hammer left and right to deflect them away. "Come on, bring it! I can handle your puny bombs all day!"

"You've got all day, huh?" sneers Mouser, "Well, in probably an hour, you're going to be seeing way more bombs than what I've got on hand!"

Mario and Luigi stop next to each other and look toward Mouser. "Wait, you have more bombs?" says Mario.

"You have a timer…" Luigi thinks out loud.

"…and a large-scale construction project..."

"You're going to blow up all of New York?!" they both gasp.

"Wait a go, pipsqueak!" Growls the foreman as he lifts up his giant mallet with one hand. "One more word out of your blabbermouth, and I'm going to have to _force_ it shut for you!"

"No worries! They have no idea where you hid the timer. Anyway, I'll just let my own bombs speak for me!" Mouser readies four more bombs in his hands.

"Come on, bro!" cries Luigi who turns toward the edge of the roof. "We can't waste any more time on the foreman and the rat. We've got to find the timer!"

"Right with you, Weegee!" says Mario. The two try to get off the roof, but are stopped by a group of Eggplant Men.

"Oh no you don't!" exclaims Spike.

"I'm _not_ a _rat_!" yells Mouser as he throws all his bombs on hand. Luigi jumps high over the Eggplant Men, while Mario whacks one out of the way before jumping off the roof with his brother. The bombs explode, catching the Eggplant Men and Gotcha Wrenches standing on the roof in the blast. The explosion also gets the attention of the other construction workers. Foreman Spike stands there for a moment, fuming, while Mouser shrugs, "My bad."

Mario and Luigi land onto the ground floor. They remain where they land for a few seconds, stunned by the sharp pain in their legs. "Let's…not do that again." Luigi cringes.

Mario looks around the construction site. Eggplant Men and Gotcha Wrenches scatter almost evenly around. Most of the other construction workers remain around the borders keep the little minions in. A few were chasing the minions around.

"Alright, Weegee, here's-a what we're going to do:" says Mario, "the timer has to be hidden somewhere on this site, so we're-a going to have to look high and low for it. Tear the place apart if we have to."

"Break stuff, find the timer, keep away the minions, and don't fall hard…got it!" agrees Luigi.

"Then let's-a get started!" Mario runs ahead toward one of the bare-bones skyscapers, while Luigi runs to another. Foreman Spike and Mouser just finish running down the ladders of the office tower, and chase after the brothers.

A couple of construction workers pass by Luigi. "Hey, fellas?" says Luigi to them. "We're looking for some gadget that looks like a really important timer. We're looking on the half-finished buildings, but in case it's underground, do you mind doing some digging for it?" The two workers grumble, but nod and call up a few more co-workers. Luigi continues on to a skyscraper, with Mouser almost right behind him.

Mario starts climbing up his skyscraper and breaks down doors and bricks that were randomly installed. Some Gotcha Wrenches climb toward him, but he evades most of them and smashes one as he aims for a section of brick. Spike tries to climb up a ladder underneath him, but Mario bashes his hammer onto his hard hat, causing him to fall back down.

Luigi jumps from one floor to the next, smashing doors and bricks as he works his way up. While Mouser doesn't have jumping prowess, his bombs make up the extra reach. Some of the bombs explode, messing up Luigi's climb. However, some of the bombs tossed up his way have a slight delay in their explosion. Luigi uses these opportunities to set up the bombs near a row of bricks, and then detonate the bomb himself to break more parts of the skyscraper.

Mario makes it to the top floor of the skyscraper, but is disappointed not to find the timer. Furthermore, he is dismayed to see that there are four more skyscrapers he and his brother have to inspect. "Less than hour; no big deal" he says wearily. After a quick breather, he jumps back down each floor, evading Gotcha Wrenches, a few Eggplant Men, and Foreman Spike, who complains about the downward climb he'll have to do.

Luigi also makes it to the top of his skyscraper, but gets surrounded by Eggplant Men who were camping on the roof. "You haven't happened to find a timer here, have you?" smirks Luigi. But the Eggplant Men file after him. Luigi notices a tall pillar when he gets chased, and gets an idea. He runs behind the pillar, and the Eggplant Men still chase him in a straight line. After a quick aim, Luigi gives the pillar a hard whack with his hammer. The pillar slowly falls over, and crushes the unfortunate pursuers. Then Luigi makes his way down, seeing that there is, alas, no timer.

When Mario makes it to the ground, a bunch of Gotcha Wrenches closely follow him down four ladders. He makes quick work of the ladders with his hammer, and the Gotcha Wrenches fall to the ground, immobilized. Foreman Spike also nearly falls from the now broken ladders, and is cut off from a direct route to the ground. "Grrrr! That little grunt! I'm going to have to make some more grunts of my own!" He raises the Cubrick in his hand, and it flashes a quick burst of light. The construction workers on the ground find, to their horror, their wrenches spring to life from their belts and tool boxes. These new, redder colored Gotcha Wrenches quickly follow the lead of the others of its kind still up and about.

Mario climbs his second skyscraper, with more minions in pursuit. To avoid them, he weaves through doorways on his way up. This causes enough confusion of the enemies to give Mario extra time. There's even one instance on his destructive ascent where he slams the door in an Eggplant Man's face, knocking it all the way down to the ground.

Luigi gets narrowly close to Mouser on his way down. Mouser throws a flurry of bombs his way. Luigi acrobatically dodges all of them. "You may toss like a man, but you sure can't toss like one!"

Fuming and stamping his foot, Mouser materializes one more bomb, gives it a little extra wind up, and then pitches a fast one. "Yikes!" says Luigi, just before it beams him straight to the chest, and then explodes. Luigi falls to the ground hard. Mouser grins devilishly at his success, but then notices Luigi still writhing and groaning in pain.

"Sheesh, who the heck _are_ these clowns?" snips Mouser, "They don't even get knocked out cold from a _direct_ bomb toss! Certainly not like the foreman."

Mario makes it to the roof top and scans the area. "Darn it! No timer! Got to keep looking…"

"You ain't going anywhere!" yells Foreman Spike. Mario turns to see the foreman standing on a tower crane. He walks along the long working arm and onto the same roof as Mario, eyes fixed on him.

"Spike, you don't have to do this" says Mario, his hands in front of him. "Why would you destroy all of New York?"

"_Me_, destroy it? It's already damaged beyond repair. And it can be a win-win for all of us! I'll make millions from the workload and expansion of my company, while the New York residents will get new buildings the likes of which the world has never seen."

"That's-a crazy! You're-a crazy!" Then Mario gets an idea. "Look, since you can't hit me for your life, and I need to find your timer, why don't you put your hammer down and we'll…"

"You want me to but the hammer down?!" he bellows, raising his enormous mallet high above his head, "I'll show you where I'll put my hammer down!" The foreman dashes toward Mario, winding his mallet at the ready. Mario stands his ground. At a mere few feet apart, Spike brings down his hammer with all his rage-induced might.

Mario smiles. He steps out of the way at the last second. The mallet hits the roof with a clang. The impact hits so hard though, that big cracks spread across the surface. Mario wastes no further time. He jumps into the air, raises his own hammer, and strikes the same spot the foreman hit. This final blow punctures a hole, and Mario's falling momentum continues, landing a few floors down.

Mario jumps and climbs his way down the tower. Foreman Spike follows a few floors behind in a blind rage. During his descent, a bunch of Eggplant Men hear their master's cries, and try to block Mario towards the bottom. Mario stops for a moment, then eyes a group of barrels nearby, resting on some pillars. Mario takes his hammer and strategically chops down the pillars. The barrels fall over, trapping some Eggplant Men in a ring. With the remaining Eggplant Men, he tricks them into following him toward another group of barrels above a ladder, and then breaks the ladder to cut off their escape.

Mario wipes his hands together. "There, now on to the next…"

Suddenly, Foreman Spike comes from above, and whacks Mario with his mallet. "Take this, damn it!" he says. Mario falls off the skyscraper and onto the ground. Thankfully, he only fell a few floors, leaving Mario only briefly dazed. Spike grits his teeth and glances at the trapped Eggplant Men. "Sheesh, first I got to teach them how to climb ladders, and now this!"

Luigi wakes up, standing himself back up. "Ugh, no wonder I don't usually taunt like my brother." Then Luigi notices that a whole bunch of Gotcha Wrenches have surrounded him in a ring. He quickly picks up his hammer off the ground next to him. "I have had just about enough of you!"

As Luigi pummels his foes, Mario approaches a couple of construction workers who are digging. "What are you doing?" asks Mario.

"We're looking for that master timer your brother told us about" says one of them.

"Oh, good idea. Actually, mind if I help you out a sec?" Mario bends down and puts his free hand on the ground. He quickly uses his 'pipe sense' to track and map out the New York sewer systems underneath the construction site. Then he gets back up. "You two are-a digging in the wrong place; the underground pipes are-a too close to the surface in most of these places, and if not, the subway tunnels will be." Mario points toward a corner of the site. "Although there is-a spot that has a decent depth. You might find the timer if you dig there." The two construction workers shrug, then pick up their tools and go where Mario pointed out.

After finishing their disputes, Mario and Luigi each climb up their own skyscrapers. Each of them smashes and bashes their way up, trying to uncover the hidden timer. Meanwhile, Mouser is on the ground and starts running toward the skyscraper Luigi is climbing. "They already wrecked half the place." Says Mouser to himself. "At this rate, they might find the timer before the demolition can begin!"

"Hold up, Mouser!" shouts Foreman Spike. He pulls up next to Mouser on a giant, mobile wrecking ball crane. "I'm going to have to cause a little 'pre-demolition' of my own and bring down the house over where those bozos stand. Feel free to join in, if you want."

Mouser grins. "And be a 'Wrecking' crew member? I thought you'd never ask!"

The foreman pulls levers at the controls. The crane swings the wrecking ball over to Luigi's skyscraper first. Luigi screams as the building rattles violently from the impact. Mouser throws a flurry of bombs at the same spot the wrecking ball had just hit. Entire frames of metal shed of the building's structure.

"Oh geez! Mario!" cries Luigi as he tries to jump up to higher ground. The wrecking ball comes swinging back, hitting the badly weakened spot. The building starts collapsing upon itself as the top half tilts over to one side. Luigi makes a high leap of faith…and grabs onto the crane's chain as it swings away from the wreckage.

Foreman Spike pays no notice to the panic-stricken stowaway as he turns the crane to the other building, which is occupied by Mario. Spike and Mouser repeat the process of striking down the building, whacking it with the wrecking ball and making explosive precision strikes.

Mario spots Luigi hanging onto the crane's chain connected to the wrecking ball. "Luigi! I'm-a coming!" He rushes back down the ladders, whacking the few Eggplant Men that stayed around in the carnage out of his way. When the wrecking ball delivers another hit, Mario leaps out onto the wrecking ball itself. Luigi slides down cautiously to meet up with his brother.

"So, now what?" asks Luigi.

Mario hangs on as the wrecking ball swings back to its center. "Well, we have four buildings down now with no timer, and…"

"Hey! Get off my crane!" shouts Spike as he waves a fist at the brothers.

"Don't worry, foreman!" says Mouser, running up to the crane. "I'll…" Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound is heard from the fifth skyscraper. The four of them stop what they're doing and turn around, very slowly. To their misfortune, the top half of the skyscraper tilts…in their direction!

"Mama mia!" shouts Mario and Luigi.

Spike frantically thrusts a few levers and presses the gas as hard as he can to drive away from the falling building. "Outta my way!" he shouts to incoming construction workers and anthropomorphic minions alike, as Mario and Luigi hang on to the wrecking ball for dear life.

Mouser stands firm, staring up at the enormous chunk of the skyscraper falling his way. "I'm not about to be flattened here!" he shouts, and materializes armfuls of bombs. In rapid succession, he chucks bomb after bomb at the building. Bit after bit of the building gets blown to shreds. When the building finally reaches the ground, a semi-neat ring of debris settles around Mouser first. Meanwhile, a significant chunk of debris comes crashing down over Mario, Luigi, and Spike. The brothers and the foreman jump out of the way before the debris flattens the crane, leaving nothing left but the wrecking ball itself intact.

The four of them settle down where they stand to catch their breath.

"You know, Mario," pants Luigi, "I think I'm going to need a break from my break from plumbing. Was my spot taken, yet?"

"Nope," heaves Mario, "left it warm and ready, just for you."

As the dust settles, a construction worker runs over to them. Mouser also comes over to the foreman, still catching his breath.

"Hey, Mario," says the worker, "we were digging where you suggested, but we couldn't find a timer of any sort."

"So," says Luigi who turns to his brother, "where else could it be?"

"I don't know," Mario ponders, "but if it isn't-a buried underground, and we basically wrecked all the buildings on this site, perhaps the rubble broke it already, and we prevented the worst that could happen…"

"Actually," Mouser interjects, "there's still one building you didn't wreck…"

Everyone present stops to think about what was just said. Luigi and Foreman Spike stare at Mario and Mouser respectively. "You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you," the two of them mutter simultaneously. Then the brothers, the foreman, and the anthropomorphic mouse all sprint toward the last standing building, knocking some workers out of the way.

All four of them race against each other up the skyscraper. Mouser causes the brunt of the chaos, throwing bombs semi-carelessly at the brothers. Mario and Luigi respond by either hitting away the bombs with their hammers, or breaking parts of the skyscraper to fall toward Mouser. Poor Foreman Spike bemoans the careless demolition surrounding him, until Mario bashes him back down a few floors behind the rest of the group, to which he then complains about being hit all the time. Eggplant Men and Gotcha Wrenches try to keep up, but are either caught in the explosions, or cut off by the brothers' precise demolition.

As the four of them reach the top, Luigi gets cut off from his brother by one of Mouser's bombs. "Go!" he beckons to Mario. "I'll stay behind and cut off everyone else. That should give you less trouble with finding the timer."

Mario nods, "Okay, Luigi, you got it." While Luigi keeps the rest of the Eggplant Men and Gotcha Wrenches from following, Mouser still paves another path to the roof. Mario still makes it to the roof first, and shortly after scanning the surroundings, the master timer is finally found. "There you are! At long last, this chaos can finally be put to rest…"

A small explosion blasts in front of Mario. He leaps back a bit in surprise, as Mouser comes from below. The anthropomorphic mouse steps in between Mario and the timer, grinning and sweating. "Just won't give up, will you?" teases Mouser.

Mario brandishes his hammer. "I was-a going to say the same about you."

Mouser throws a flurry of bombs with one hand as he picks up the master timer with the other. Mario dodges most of the bombs, and blocks a few with his hammer. Mouser looks at the timer, and snickers to himself. "I'd pick up the pace, if I were you!" Mouser laughs, "Says here that you got five minutes left!" He turns the face of the timer toward Mario, allowing him to see the timer's numbers.

Mario sees that the timer does indeed have less than five minutes read on the counter. As Mario stands there in shock, Luigi gets bashed by Foreman Spike onto the roof. The foreman steps up onto the roof, with two Eggplant Men and two Gotcha Wrenches following behind him. Luigi leans on his hammer to steady himself as he gets up.

_"This…can't end here…"_ Mario thinks to himself. Then he tightens his grip on his hammer with both hands. _"This…ends now!"_ Mario starts running as fast as he can toward Mouser. Foreman Spike catches on to Mario, and beckons an Eggplant Man and Gotcha Wrench to get him. Mario spots the oncoming minions, and darts over to a small stash of barrels. Mario knocks over a few of them toward the minions. One hits them far out of the way, and the rest continue rolling toward Spike. "Jump over that!" jibes Mario as Spike poorly gets out of the way of the barrels and falls on his face.

The Cubrick the foreman was holding flies into the air and drops into Mouser's hands. The mouse casts the timer aside, and uses the Cubrick to generate fireballs. He then throws all his new bombs and fireballs toward the brothers. Mario hits one barrel in the direct path of the barrage to prematurely detonate the cluster of bombs. He hits the last one nicely toward his brother. "Luigi! Aim and hit!" Mario shouts.

"Got it!" says Luigi, who winds back his hammer in a golfer-like fashion. Once the barrel comes in front of him, Luigi hits the barrel straight to Mouser. The anthropomorphic mouse squeaks as the barrel hits his stomach hard, causing him to release the Cubrick accidentally into the air.

Mario continues his run toward Mouser, eyeing the Cubrick spinning through the air. "I just about had enough with this thing!" he says. Then he jumps into the air as hard as he can, hammer at the ready.

"Oh no you don't!" screams Mouser, and he chucks three more bombs in Mario's direction. Mario hits the first off to his left, and then the second one to his right. Then he makes no hesitation in swinging his hammer at the Cubrick. However, he forgets about the third bomb, which ends up directly in between Mario and the timer as he swings the hammer down. Surprised, Mario slightly slows his swing, which just catches the bomb, and brings in down upon the Cubrick.

"Oh no" says Mouser and Spike simultaneously as they agonizingly watch the bomb and the hammer connect with the Cubrick. A bright, colorful explosion expands from the Cubrick. Although no blast-wave pushes out upon anything like a normal explosion, the blinding flash forces everyone in the entire city to shut their eyes.

When the flash dissipates, Spike, Mouser, Luigi, and the remaining Eggplant Man and Gotcha Wrench look to where the Cubrick once was. In its place, Mario stands unscathed. However, when Mario opens his eyes too, all of them look at his hammer in shock. The hammer grew a little bigger in size, and the head was completely reshaped. It also entirely glows in gold.

Mario holds the hammer in one hand for a bit, then refocuses his attention toward Mouser and Spike. "Luigi, get ready to smash that timer. I'm-a going to give these two hard-heads a few well-deserved wallops!"

Mario runs to the foreman first, barely touching the ground as he sprints. Spike barely moves his hammer in front of him to block his fleet-footed opponent. Luigi tries to run to the timer, but gets stalled in a barrage of bombs from Mouser. Mario and the foreman have a duel of hammers, but Mario's newly upgraded hammer practically parries the foreman's own hammer in every stroke. In under a minute, Mario disarms the foreman, and makes one more overhead swing onto the foreman's head. The strike bashes the him halfway through the roof, leaving him stuck.

"Damn, damn damn!" shouts Spike, "Curse you, dropout!"

Mario turns to Luigi and Mouser, who are still locked in combat. He also eyes the timer, which has under a minute left read on the counter. Without hesitation, Mario runs toward Mouser with the hammer held in front of him. Mouser spots Mario approaching him quickly, and tries to throw a bunch of bombs his way. In response, Mario swings the hammer up and down so quickly that the bombs explode from the air friction alone.

"Not…possible!" shrieks Mouser.

Mario then shoves the hammer toward Mouser, and thrusts him off the roof. Mouser screams as he falls all the way from the top of skyscraper onto the dirt below. Luigi smash the timer, with seconds to spare, without even leaving his gaze off of Mario's new feats. Mouser dazedly tries to get up, but Mario also jumps off the skyscraper, and smashes the golden hammer down onto Mouser. The two break through the surface of the Earth, and into a deep sewer pipe.

"Who…who _are_ you?" gasps Mouser as he tries to stay conscious.

Mario fiercely stares into Mouser's face. "I'm-a Mario," Mario lifts his hammer above his head, "And I'm-a _plumber_!" And with that, he swings the hammer down toward Mouser for a final swing. Mouser richochets down the pipe line.

"I'll get you…" but in seconds, Mouser vanishes into the dark corners of the pipe system.

Mario takes a moment for a breather, and a moment to admire his new hammer. "Well, this is-a certainly a keeper!" Then he climbs and jumps back out of the hole he made in the ground.

When Mario reaches the surface, he immediately notices policemen coming onto the scene. A few talk to the other construction workers, who point toward Mario, as well as Luigi and Foreman Spike on the roof. From the roof, Luigi can see a large crowd of people gathering all along the perimeter of the construction site.

"Not fair!" growls Spike, still stuck in the roof. "I've been tricked! Deceived by a sewer rat!"

"Oh, can it, will you!" says Luigi, "Save your breath for the police." Luigi then walks up to the foreman and smirks. "Oh, and I highly doubt your 'Wrecking Crew' will ever be the same again. So take a good look at what you've done."

On the ground, a police officer approaches Mario. "Jeez, you again." Says the officer, "I guess you've now made yourself quite the super hero for our city!"

Mario beams at the officer's compliment. The people outside the fence also spot him, and start to cheer. "A hero. A _super_ hero." Mario puts his hammer back into his belt loop. He fishes into one of his pockets, pulls out his folded red cap, and puts it on. "I'm-a going to have to bring Luigi into this, too!" And he runs toward the last-standing skyscraper.

Meanwhile, just outside the ring of people, the long trench coated man stands to watch the results of the construction mayhem. Even though he is really tall, he still can't see who the crowd is cheering for. "Oh well," sighs the tall man. "Looks like he's finally caught in the act" Then he eyes a lone Eggplant Man curiously interacting with a Giga-Robo. The tall man devilishly smiles. "Which means I'm on my _own_ now!"

* * *

Toadsworth walks into a basement room, where Peach is checking up on a Power Star within a vault.

"Have you got it to work?" says Toadsworth.

"Yes, I have," smiles Peach, "my powers have grown strong, and with this Power Star, I can channel my shielding abilities into it, and generate a force field big enough to encompass at least the whole castle." She closes the vault to the Power Star. "We'll be ready."

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed corner of the Mushroom Kingdom, Kamek returns to Bowser on his broomstick, holding a long case.

"So, how did the meeting go?" says Bowser, a bit impatiently.

"Splendidly, Your Humbleness," says Kamek as he lands in front of him. "The ruler has agreed to a small partnership, including this." Kamek opens the case, and presents to Bowser a rod with a brownish-yellow block at one end.

"Excellent! Just what I wanted!" Bowser lifts the rod into the air, feeling it for himself. Then he puts it back. "Pack up the Blockra, and rally the troops. We'll be ready."

Toadsworth leaves Peach alone for a bit. "Bowser…" she says to herself.

Kamek flies back out on his broomstick. "Princess…" Bowser says to himself.

"I will fight you down and…defeat you!"

"I am…

"I am…

"Justice!"


	9. Past Bytes

In the evening, Mario and Luigi sit on their couch watching television, when the phone rings on the tabletop next to Mario. He picks up the phone without even leaving his eyes from the T.V. screen.

"Hello? Mario Brothers Plumbing…"

"Hi there, Mario!" answers Pauline on the other end.

Mario nearly drops the phone and bolts upright in his seat, startling Luigi. "Oh! Oh, hi Pauline! How are-a you doing?"

"I'm doing great here. Although if the message you left for me is any indication, I think I should be the one to ask you that question."

Mario laughs and blushes a bit. "Aw, thanks for your concern, but other than the closely averted, city-wide explosion, I'm-a totally fine…" Luigi coughs in his hand and gives him a look. "…and so is-a my brother."

"So after you, let me get this straight, fight off a foreman with an oversized mallet, an army of walking eggplants and wrenches, and a talking mouse with unlimited bombs…"

"Yep, that sounds right."

"…you got special benefits and gifts from the city, the key to the city from the mayor, and nation-wide attention as a hero to the United States?"

"I know, it's-a crazy, right? And recently, the Japanese ambassador came to meet with me, and told me how my popularity has spread over to Japan. I think they were thinking of making an anime, or something, based on me and my brother."

"Wow! With all this attention, you think you're going to be a plumber for much longer?"

Mario pauses for a moment. "I'm...not so sure." Another long pause. Luigi notices his brother getting a little glum.

"Oh. Well, hey, that's the first time you just spoke without that Italian accent of yours!"

"I hadn't noticed," he says, a bit more perked up now.

"Tell you what. I'm actually in Italy right now. News has actually spread about you over here. Anyway, as I was talking to others about you, someone mentioned that they knew about the orphanage you were in before you were transferred to America!"

Once again, Mario nearly drops the phone. "R-r-really?!"

"Geez, Mario," says Luigi, "get a grip, will ya?"

Pauline continues, "Some of the staff is still there, too, so I'm pretty sure they'll remember you."

"They can possibly find out where we were born? And who are parents are?"

"Who and where now?" says Luigi flabbergasted.

"Maybe," says Pauline, "and I got the address to the orphanage. So maybe, if you are interested and have time, you could fly over here to Rome, and I'll set up a date for you to meet the head manager of the orphanage."

Mario slowly brings a hand over the mouth piece of the phone, and turns to Luigi, who still stands there confused. "Hey Weegee," says Mario very calmly, "you interested in visiting Italy for a while, and possibly finding out the origins of our birth?"

Luigi blinks. The two stare at each other for several seconds.

"Hello? You guys still there?" says Pauline through the speaker, "What do guys think…"

"YES!" the brothers excitedly shout through the phone simultaneously.

* * *

While Princess Peach is talking to the Toad Council about the upcoming battle, Toadsworth sneaks by the council room, and down into the basement area. After entering the room with the Power Star, he walks over to a corner of the room. He looks behind him to make sure nobody's behind him. He taps his cane on specific bricks on the wall. Then a small square section of wall opens. He ducks his head and goes through the small opening.

On the other side of the opening is a tiny, dark room, with a small altar. Toadsworth lights a candle on the altar. The room is still dimly lit, as if the darkness is keeping a strong grip around the candle. He stands in from of the altar, and closes his eyes. A few seconds later, a purplish swirl surrounds the tiny flame. And then…

"The mists of consciousness parts," says a voice in Toadsworth's mind, "and a familiar face emerges."

"I hope I am not interrupting your thoughts," says Toadsworth through his mind.

"Nonsense," says the voice, "my consciousness is as open to you as it is to everyone and all. Now, what troubles you?"

"Our kingdom is at the edge of war. The princess has done everything she can to keep her subjects together and to gather enough resources together to strengthen our defenses."

"But…"

"But, I fear it may not be enough. She was too young to even remember the great Mushroom War like I have. She's still so young now to take up the mantle of commander in chief. I…I just…" Toadsworth sheds a tear, "don't want any harm to come to her."

"You have done all you can, old friend. But sadly, I cannot help much."

"Please! I beg of you. I have done everything you suggested in the past. And I worry that those promises you made may not come to pass…"

"I am sorry. Truly, I am. But you are still unenlightened."

"I know. Forgive my outburst; I should not have spoken so harshly of you."

"However, there is some good news I can give you."

"I'll take anything at this point."

"At around the time of greatest need, there are two foreign young heroes that will come to this world, and can save the Mushroom Kingdom."

"How…"

"I do not know when precisely. Only when. But they are nearing age. And their powers are growing. They will be the greatest heroes the Mushroom Kingdom will probably ever know."

"I hope you are right in the end, dear friend."

"And I wish your kingdom the best of luck. And that is all?"

"That is all."

"And now I go."

The purplish swirl flickers out, and Toadsworth opens his eyes. He wipes his eyes before blowing out the candle.

* * *

Weeks later, the Lufthansa flight touches down in Rome, Italy. Mario and Luigi depart from the plane, dressed in regular clothing, and wait for their luggage to come down the conveyor belt.

"I'm-a so excited!" says Mario, "I can hardly wait to visit our first orphanage!"

"Me neither!" says Luigi, "But I am a little nervous."

"Well, at least we can brush up on our Italian."

"I, uh, might be a bit rusty."

"Then how about you let me do the talking. You can at least understand what they're-a saying, right?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Once they get their suitcases, the two head outside the airport entrance. Pauline stands nearby, waiting for them by a cab. She waves at them to get their attention.

"Mario! Luigi! So good to see you guys again!" she says as they come over to her.

"I'm glad to see you too!" says Mario, a little blushed.

"Not so loud with our names, though, please," Luigi says to her, "we don't really want that much attention drawn to us before we finish our main business."

"Oh, of course," she says, "well, I rented this cab that will take us to the orphanage, and then your hotel, so it won't be much longer now."

The three of them gleefully enter the cab, leaving their luggage in the trunk. The cab drives through Rome, passing by major landmarks like the Coliseum and the Pantheon. After about an hour of driving through traffic, they finally arrive at the orphanage, near the outskirts of Rome.

The three enter the orphanage. The brothers are nearly brought to tears at the amazement that they're standing in their first known home. Then the manager walks over to them from the customer assistance desk.

"Mario! Luigi! Buongiorno!" says the man.

"Buongiorno!" replies Mario, "Che piacere vederti!"

"Salve!" Luigi replies as well.

Pauline simply smiles and waves. Mario and the manager continue to talk to each other in Italian, while Luigi and Pauline stand just off to the side, listening in.

"Are you able to understand Italian?" Pauline asks Luigi.

"Mostly," he replies, "Thank goodness my brother knows more than I do, and can speak it, too."

"Could you tell me what they are saying?"

"Sure. The manager asked if we were all right from the time difference we have to endure from the flight over, but fortunately, we slept during the whole flight. The manager has heard about our recent rise to fame, and is very pleased at how we have grown up. He remembers how Mario was like a parrot, mimicking many Italian words."

"Which would explain how Mario got that Italian accent. What about you, what were you like here?"

The manager so happens to say a few words in Italian to Luigi, to which Luigi grows a bit bashful. Then Luigi turns his attention back to Pauline. "He says that I was a shy baby, hiding in the shadows."

Pauline gives a funny look. Then the manager turns so that he's equally facing all three of them. "Excuse me, mam, for keeping you, how do you say it, out of the fold. I can speak some English."

"It's okay," she says courteously, "and your English isn't so bad, I might add."

Mario was about to speak in Italian again, but then clears his throat. "So now that everyone has their undivided attention, could you please tell us if you know who sent us up for adoption?"

The brothers look to the manager longingly. He rubs is eyes before he continues. "To that, you'll have to excuse me. My staff and I tried looking for your files everywhere this past week. We could find everything we know about you _since_ you arrived, but everything _before_ you came…nothing. No last name, no precise date-of-birth, no birth place, and no known parents. Your blood samples can't even trace any of your heritage, or possible family members. I'm sorry, Mario, but according to what we have, you and your brother seem to have come out of nowhere."

Mario and Luigi heave a great sigh. Regardless, the three of them thank the manager for their time and efforts, and then walk out of the orphanage. The brothers take one last look up to the orphanage, and then sigh again. Pauline looks at the crestfallen brothers, then walks behind them and puts an arm over each of them.

"Okay, so your past is still somewhat in the dark," consoles Pauline, "but we can move on, right?"

Mario and Luigi still keep their heads down, but still listen on.

"You may not know your family, but you two still have each other. And you have a home back in New York. And you have more fame and fortune that any Joe the Plumber would dream of."

Mario and Luigi look at each other. They each crack a smile, then Mario leaps onto his feet.

"You know, you're right!" exclaims Mario.

"Yeah!" says Luigi, "Together, we can do anything!"

"Pave the way for others to inspire and follow." Mario turns to Pauline. "Thank you, Pauline."

"Anytime," says Pauline. "Now, how about we continue this vacation in Italy, while I'm still around?"

"Lead the way!" says Luigi, and the three of them venture into Rome.

* * *

Weeks later, dawn breaks. Princess Peach looks over her castle balcony. She can see all of Toad Town, and a little beyond the town borders until the grassy, hilly horizon. Toadsworth comes up beside her right, while a royal guard Toad stays by her left.

"Have they come yet?" asks Toadsworth.

"Not yet," says Peach. The three of them stand in silence and watch the sun slowly rise at the horizon.

"It's so peaceful" comments the royal guard Toad.

"The calm before the storm, I'm afraid" sighs Toadsworth.

Then Peach is taken aback. "They're here!" she exclaims quietly.

Sure enough, the horizon is dotted all across with soldiers of the Koopa Troop, mainly consisting of Goombas and Koopa Troopas. Bowser stands at the center of the front lines, his silhouette blocking out a portion of the sun. For a while, the Koopa Troop just stands there at the top of the hills. Bowser gets one good look at Peach's Castle.

"Soon, the capitol will fall, and the Mushroom Kingdom will belong to the Koopas!" he grins to himself. Then he lets out a blood-curling roar. The sun shines around his silhouette, as if glowing off his bearing strength. The Koopa Troop charges down the mountain, and toward Toad Town and the castle. Peach grips the railing for a moment, getting a good read on the enemies coming forth.

"Send the word to General Toad," Peach says to the royal guard Toad without taking her gaze off the Koopa Troop. "Prepare all hands on defenses. Arm all willing and able citizens. It has begun!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** **Apologies if I messed up any Italian spelling and grammar in this chapter.**


	10. Perchance to Dream

A Hammer Bro runs up to Bowser from the front lines.

"Any progess?" asks Bowser, a bit unamused.

"Well, we've held our lines, so that's good news," begins the Hammer Bro, "but so has our enemies. The princess has created a force field over her castle; not even the Bullet Bills have made a dent."

The Koopa King grows impatient. "Well, what about the town, then? That's not shielded, is it?"

The Hammer Bro begins to sweat. "Well, no, but there's this coating of paint all along the border of the town. When we step on it, it makes us sluggish enough to be overwhelmed in combat. Fortunately, the Paratroopas and Lakitus go over it easily…"

Bowser roars, "That's it?! We've been fighting for weeks, and all you guys have done is keep them busy?" Bowser stamps his foot a bit in frustration, and then stops to think. "Okay, then. How about you stop blasting the force field we can't break, and focus all your long-range weapons at the soldiers in the town. Got it?"

"Yes, Lord Bowser!" he salutes, then runs back to the front lines.

Bowser surveys the fight from his battle tower. About a third of Toad Town looks battered, but Peach's Castle stands magnificently over the chaos, in a look of defiance. "Once my construction team finishes the eighth tower, I think I'll step into the fray myself!"

* * *

That night, Mario and Luigi get ready for bed, in their apartment back in Brooklyn. Mario just gets out of the shower, while Luigi is already in bed, reading a book.

"Finished the last chapter yet?" says Mario as he dries himself off.

"Almost," says Luigi. "The prince of Sablé has almost beaten the villain using his frog and snake forms. It's an interesting read."

"I told you." Mario finishes putting on his striped pajamas and night cap, and tucks into bed. "Man, I wish I could transform into a frog, and go on an adventure to save a kingdom."

Luigi puts the book down on his nightstand. "Come on, bro. Aren't our lives already interesting enough? We live fairly wealthy lives, we have garnered nationwide attention, and we _already_ battle crazy creatures from who knows where."

"Hey, a man can dream, can't he?" They both laugh. "Well, goodnight, Weegee."

"Goodnight, bro."

Mario shuts off the lamp light between their beds, then they go straight to sleep. Unbeknownst to them, a sewer grate slowly slides open just outside their apartment building. Then Mouser slowly crawls out of the sewers. He looks up to the apartment window, catching the light from the brothers' bedroom window. He devilishly grins through the grit of his teeth.

"I'm back, and ready for my revenge, Mario! You won't even know what hit you, until it's too late!"

* * *

Princess Peach continues to watch from the balcony of her castle. Toadsworth stands at her side, nearly lost in thought from watching the battle. She is at a loss of words as she watches the battle continue in the streets of Toad Town. She can hear almost every word, battle cry, and wounded groan.

_"I hate that my dear people are suffering, but defenses are holding up, and the Koopa Troop must have some extra tactics left at their disposal."_ Princess Peach reassures herself,_ "I don't what to play out my whole hand, unless it's absolutely necessary…wait, what's going on now?"_

The soldiers of the Koopa Troop start falling back toward the borders of Toad Town.

"Press on, soldiers!" beckons General Toad at the front lines, "Don't let them take the ground their losing! Push them all the way back!"

Captain Toad hesitantly starts to join the charge of Toads, when General Toad stops him. "You stay back toward the castle," says the general, "You ain't a fighter yet, but you can defend yourself when push comes to shove." General Toad starts catching up to the front line. "Just _don't run away_ this time!"

Captain Toad swallows hard. "Yes, sir."

The Toads chase the enemies within the town all the way toward the borders, where they seem to get very antsy about crossing the painted line again. Bill Blasters stop firing at the castle. Princess Peach watches with great intent.

_"Maybe we'll be able to turn the tables already…"_

Suddenly, everything drastically changed for the worst. All the Lakitus that were still dropping Spiny Eggs on the castle now drop them in front of the castle. All the Hammer Brothers stand behind the painted line, and throw their hammers onto the town. All the Bill Blasters now point at the town as well, and bombard it with Bullet Bills. With so many weapons raining down upon them, the Toads scatter and flee in sporadic circles. Some of the Goombas and Koopa Troopas who didn't cross back over the painted line take the opportunity to strike back at the scampering Toads. General Toad tries to keep his men in line, but to little avail.

Princess Peach grips the railing even harder. Her mind races through all the battle strategies she prepared for. Toadsworth looks over to her, worry etched across his face.

"This is slowly turning into the Mushroom Wars all over again," croaks the old Toad. "I know you wanted to hold back your best backup, but unless this situation is our most dire time, we have to take out our next best ace."

The princess sighs, and then grows stern. "I guess we must. I'll go get our _best _weapon." Princess Peach walks back into her room, while Toadsworth still watches the battle.

"Fated heroes," he prays to himself, "I hope you are as legend foretells."

* * *

Mouser sneaks up an outdoor fire escape until he reaches the same floor level as Mario's home. Then he slowly sidesteps from window to window until he reaches the right one.

* * *

General Toad grows more and more exhausted. He kicks a Koopa Troopa hiding in its shell, sending it spinning toward a few Goombas. Then a fiery roar reverberates through the air. Bowser has stepped up to the painted border. He launches occasional fire balls from his mouth, burning any Toads that were unfortunate to be in his war path.

"How I love the smell of roasted _victory_!" chuckles the Koopa King.

General Toad nearly flinches. "Damn it! I must be nearly wiped clean if I'm starting to hope for last-minute hero saving."

* * *

Mouser fiddles with the window pane, wedging a makeshift crowbar he brought with him from the sewers. With a free hand he wiggles the bottom half back and forth, quickly but quietly. Mario slightly turns and mutters in his sleep. Finally, a 'cha-thunk' sound goes off, and Mouser wipes back his sweat in relief.

* * *

Captain Toad is too paralyzed in fear to even think of moving. In front of him, the thick of battle slowly and surely inches its way toward him and the castle gates. From castle windows, female Toads and children occasionally peak out, hoping that the battle begins to turn toward their favor.

_"Please, hero; please come!" _he pleads in his head. _"I promise I'll follow you every step of the way if you'll come to our rescue!"_

* * *

Mouser carefully lifts the window open, slips in in a couple of delicate steps, then quietly closes the window behind him. Mario stirs a bit, but doesn't wake up at all. Mouser silently snickers under his breath. He tiptoes closer and closer to Mario's bedside.

* * *

Princess Peach looks through a few wooden boxes in her bedroom. Then she opens a long, thin one. She holds a hand over her chest and heaves a sigh of relief. "There you are!"

* * *

Mouser positions himself between the two beds. He looks over to the bed on the right and sees Luigi sleeping peacefully. "Hm, you are very annoying, but…" he turns to the other bed on the left, and sees Mario sleeping, but slightly tossing and moaning. "Here you are!"

* * *

Then she frowns, and looks back toward the doorway to the balcony. She can still hear the blasts and screams of war outside her window. "Hero," she says softly to herself, "if you really are out there…"

* * *

Mouser puts a hand behind his back, materializes a bomb, and then raises it above Mario. He can hardly contain his sneaky delight. "Sweet dreams, little man…"

* * *

"…please…"

* * *

"…and good riddance!"

* * *

"…help us!"

* * *

Just as Mouser is about to drop the bomb, a colorful, hazy portal materializes directly above Mario's head. It almost has the appearance of a swirling water color painting, in a cloud form. Mouser squeaks and steps back, and nearly falls over. As the portal reaches its full size, almost three times as big as Mario's head, the sounds of people pleading for help get louder and louder from the portal. It gets so loud, that Mouser covers his big ears with his gloved hands and nearly drops the bomb.

"Ack! What in the…ow!" Mouser can barely take the cacophony of screams and clash of voices. "Shut up!" groans Mouser as he squeezes his eyes shut. Luigi turns over in his bed, unfazed. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Mouser can't take the noises anymore! He throws the bomb blindly in the direction of the portal. Right as it makes contact with the color cloud, it explodes…

Everything goes suddenly quiet. Mouser takes his hands off his ears and opens his eyes. Instead of an explosive boom, or the voices from before, a low muffled hum reverberates from the still hovering portal. The portal itself, however, turns to white, and begins to ripple. Mario cringes, but still remains asleep. The humming gets deeper, and stronger. Mouser begins to feel the vibrations of the hum, like an electric bass. But then he also feels a strong tug on his whole body.

"What the…no, what is this?" Mouser gasps as he slowly stretches out. His head and hands elongate and gravitate toward the portal as it hums ever stronger. Mouser tries to scream, tries to move away, but is hopelessly and quietly spagettified. His whole body gets pulled into the white void of the portal. As soon as he disappears into the portal, it collapses into itself like a backward spiral, and then disappears out of the air. Luigi stirs half-awake.

"Hm, Mario?" mutters Luigi, half-opening one eye. But Mario, this time, is as still as a lifeless body, deep in sleep. Luigi turns his back and goes back to sleep.

It turns out, while Mario looks motionless and peaceful, his dreams are anything but. At first, Mario's dreamy conscious takes him through a white vortex. Voices calling for help get louder and louder as he is pulled through. Eventually, he can hear what they are saying clearly.

"Fated heroes, I hope you are as legend foretells" says one.

"Help! Please help!" says another, younger voice.

"This is it! We're doomed!"

"Please hero; please help! I promise I'll follow you every step of the way if you'll come to our rescue!"

"I cannot lose hope!"

"We need more help!"

"Hero," says a soft, female voice, "if you really are out there, please, help us!"

"The mist of consciousness parts," a voice suddenly says, breaking through the thick of other voices until only it is heard, "and a hero emerges."

Suddenly, a pure white light emerges at the end of the void. Mario flies right through it, and before him lies a slightly faced setting. Fields of grass, rolling hills with black eyes, green pipes poking out of the ground, and clear blue skies. Mario rubs his eyes, hardly believing what he is seeing.

"I am-a dreaming, right?" Mario says to himself, and he is about to pinch his arm.

"Yes, you are," says the same voice he last heard earlier.

Mario looks around him. "Who are-a you? Where are-a you?"

"How would one describe me? I am...the voice within. I am your consciousness... I am above, and all around. A consciousness bound to you, as you are to me."

Mario stares blankly. "What are-a you talking about?"

"My apologies. You are unenlightened. But you hour of need is almost here."

"Wait, what for?"

"Look closer, harder, deeper…"

Mario looks onto the scene around him. In one spot, he can barely notice some strange fairies with pink hoods darting across the landscape. The scene changes like a ripple where the fairy things crossed by. Then the dampened sound of fireworks can be heard. Mario can see a large castle a little ahead of him. He looks at it with amazement.

"Wow, how magnificent it is…"

His amazement is quickly dashed when explosions blast between him and the castle. At this time, Mario notices a battered, smoldering town in front of him. The few buildings that do still stand look like their shaped like mushrooms. The scene looks too hazy from where Mario is positioned, but he can hear screams of pain and pleads for help.

"What is going on?" Mario asks the voice, but no answer comes.

"Hello, sir! Glad you made it here" says a high-pitched voice right next to him. Mario quickly turns to his left, and he sees the same sort of hooded fairy he saw earlier.

"Oh…hello?" says Mario, a little confused.

"It's okay; this is your first time traveling through the subconscious, right?"

"Um…yes? So…what's going on?"

"Unfortunately, this is the beginning of a second war. Follow me." The fairy creature begins to fly toward the bombardment, but Mario hesitants. "Don't worry, it's just a dream. You won't be harmed, but we must hurry before you wake up."

Mario follows the fairy into the thick of battle. While everything is still hazy and dusty, he can still see the outlines of buildings and…mushroom-like people and turtle-like people. "This is-a crazy! This must be only a dream. Why show me these…people?"

"While this is a dream…" A mighty roar rumbles through the town, followed by a rain of fireballs. Mario and the fairy turn in fear toward the source of the sound. They can barely see the outline of an imposing, dragonish figure. "…this is really happening in another world."

"Another world?" gasps Mario. "You mean those exist?"

"As real as the ground you stand on…" they both notice they're floating like ghosts. "Well, if you were awaken and you really were here, that is."

The fairy continues to lead Mario through the town. Mushroom people flee for their lives, as hammers, spiny spheres, and huge missile-like things fall upon them. "This is-a terrible for them. Is there anything they can do?"

The fairy and Mario reach the outside of the castle, and begin to float up to a balcony. "I don't know if they have enough in them to last long enough, but maybe you can."

"Me? How? And what can I do?"

"You and your brother have achieved some amazing feats, right?"

Flash images of the Sidesteppers swarming the sewers, and the Eggplant Men climbing around the construction site appear between Mario and the fairy.

"Yeah, we have but…"

"But…what?"

Mario then notices a human step out onto the balcony. She is dressed in a pink, princess-like outfit, and looks very young. She looks out onto the battlefield. Her face gives off a mixture of determination, fear, and frustration.

"I…I don't know how I'll be able to make it to this place, let alone how to help you in a war."

"See that girl?" The fairy points at the princess. "She's only been a leader of these toadstools for a few months. And yet here she is, directly overseeing the war against an enemy she may not defeat. And if she keeps trying again and again, how about you?"

Mario looks over to the princess again, then at the chaos in the town below. "Alright, I promise I will help, _if_ I happen to make it here."

"Well, strange things do tend to happen!" The two sink back down to ground level. The a Toad guarding the entrance to the castle screams in horror as a Bullet Bill falls near him. It explodes between him and Mario. Mario shields his eyes from the brightness of the blast. Then he hears a familiar voice.

"Mario? Mario, wake up!"

Mario stirs in his bed, and then perks his eyes wide open. Luigi stands right beside his bed, his hands shaking him. "Luigi, is that you?"

"Who else sleeps in the same room as you?" smirks Luigi.

Mario sits upright and rubs his eyes, "I had the strangest dream ever. You would not believe what I saw."

"Then I better not ask. Besides, we have a call for the Mario Brothers Plumbing. Come on and get up; it wouldn't be a brotherly job if only I answered the call for help."

Mario stares straight ahead as his brother exits the bedroom. "The call for help…" he mutters.

* * *

Princess Peach still stands on the balcony, but no longer hesitates. She pulls out a long, sniper-like gun. She looks into the mounted telescope, waiting for the crosshairs to align on her target. "Super Scope, don't fail me now," she prays. Then she holds the trigger to charge the shot, and fires at maximum power. A large ball of energy flies out of the Super Scope, and hits a couple of Bill Blasters. They immediately blow up to smithereens. Some loaded Bullet Bills fly out of their former cannons, and hit unsuspecting Koopa Troop soldiers. Princess Peach fist pumps the air. "Yes! Thank you, Jewelry Kingdom!" she cheers, and prepares to fire another shot.

The Toads realize the turn of events, with fewer Bullet Bills flying in their direction. They begin to jump up and down, cheering.

"No time to celebrate!" shouts General Toad, almost grinning himself. "Press on toward the enemy, now!" All the Toads in the town charge toward the Kooa Troop, pressing the soldiers back toward the border.

Bowser stands there, baffled by the losses of Bill Blasters, and the resurgence of confidence in his enemies. "So, the princess has an extra trick up her sleeve, does she?" He pounds his fists together, and then snaps his fingers. "Well, I've got a final trick of my own!" A Koopa Troopa hands Bowser the Blockra staff. Bowser steps right up to the border, where some Toads stand by fighting some Goombas. He grins as he points the staff toward those Toads. Mere seconds after those Toads realize the Koopa King is standing nearby, a beam fires out of the Blockra. The Toads scream in horror, but then the screaming instantly stops when their hit by the beam. All the other Toads gasp in shock. Even the princess looks over to where the beam hit.

"Oh no!" she gasps.

The Toads that were hit by the beam have been turned to stone!

Bowser lets out a triumphant laugh. "Bwahahaha! What will you do now, princess?"

* * *

Mouser lies face-down in the white void. "Ugh, where am I?" he groans.

"In the wild, wild dreams" croaks a deep voice above him.

Mouser looks up, and sees a giant, green frog decked out in a king's crown and robe. His jaw drops, but then he bolts up onto his feet and materializes a bomb.

"I am not your enemy," says the frog, "but perhaps if we join forces, we could accomplish a much bigger goal. One that the average creature would only _dream_ of!"


	11. Back to the Sewers

It is pandemonium in Toad Town. Many of the Toads flee from the borders. But Bowser zaps nearly half of them with his Blockra, leaving them as helpless stone statues. The remaining Toads hide behind houses for cover from the hammers, including General Toad.

"Blasted tyrant," curses the general, "has to cheat his way to victory! Does anyone have any honor anymore?"

Princess Peach fired a charged shot from the Super Scope at the last Bill Blaster. By now, the Lakitus have taken notice, and rain down Spiny Eggs in front of the balcony to partly obscure her view of the battlefield. The Spiny Eggs land near the entrance to the castle and hatch into Spinies. Captain Toad does his best to swat the Spinies away with his blunt spear.

"Just don't jump, just don't jump, push them away, just don't jump…" Captain Toad stutters to himself repeatedly.

Peach tries to aim the Super Scope toward Bowser. But from the falling Spiny Eggs and the Koopa King moving about to hit Toads with his Blockra, she can't focus the crosshairs enough to get a good shot.

"Dang it!" she says through the grit of her teeth. She lowers the Super Scope and helplessly watches the battle below. More soldiers of the Koopa Troop begin to cross the painted line again, more bold in their attacks. Bowser still remains behind the line, but provides cover for his soldiers by zapping the block-tipped staff.

Toadsworth steps up next to Peach, checking on the battle. "I have a message for you from the Toad Council" he says.

"I'm listening," she replies.

"They believe that surrender is now a negotiable option…"

"No! That is non-negotiable! We must still hold our defenses…whatever we have left."

Just then, General Toad sneaks to a few other Toads huddled together behind a house. He whispers a few things to them, and they nod in response. They peek around the corner of the house. Peach notices the general gearing up for something. Then the Toads spring out of their hiding place!

A total of three Toads follow General Toad's lead as they make a run for Bowser. They stomp on a few Goombas, and knock over a couple with their spears. Bowser notices them coming, and gleefully zaps the Blockra in their direction. Fortunately, all four of them dart behind a house to get out of the way.

They continue their chance toward the Koopa King, kicking some Koopas tucked in their shells for cover. Bowser strikes the Blockra at them again. General Toad leaps out of the way. The other three Toads on the other hand…one of them gets hit, and turned to stone. The other two dart for cover, a bit rattled. The general waves his hands to the other two to stay calm. Bowser grits his teeth with pleasure. He beckons some Hammer Bros to corral them out. The general waves his hand down to keep the other too low for a while. The Hammer Bros get closer and closer. Then the general points at the two Toads, and yells aloud. The Hammer Bros turn to General Toad, readying their hammers. That's when the other two Toads leap out. They strike a couple of Hammer Bros from behind with their spears, which distracts the rest of the Hammer Bros. This allows the general to strike a few more Hammer Bros down.

"It's now or never! We must reach the Koopa King!" says General Toad.

"Bwahahaha" Bowser laughs and keeps zapping the Blockra.

General Toad and one of the other Toads dart toward Bowser. However, the other Toad is too busy tussling with a Hammer Bro. This leaves the poor Toad wide open for a blast from the Blockra, and gets turned to stone.

The two remaining Toads continue forth toward Bowser, dodging zap strikes from the Blockra and random hammers thrown in their path. As General Toad keeps his eyes on his objective, he just barely hears the other Toad trip over a fallen hammer. A zap flies by the general's right, a yelp from the Toad is heard, and then nothing more. He now knows that he is the only one left.

General Toad picks up speed. He dodges the beams shot his way from the Blockra. Bowser's grin slowly lessens, and he gets more serious with his aiming. The general quickly closes in the gap before Bowser can get a good shot from the Blockra. So the Koopa King resorts to using a stream of fire from his mouth. The general slides under the flames, just getting a few licks. He continues to slide right under Bowser, and stops right behind him. He grabs the Koopa King's tail and begins to pull…

"Hey!" bellows the Koopa King. He whips around so hard that General Toad flies across the floor, and skids a while on the grass. Slightly winded, the general spits out some dirt in his mouth, grits his teeth, and grips his spear in preparation. Bowser shoots some fire balls his way. The general barely rolls out of the way of one fireball before sprinting by the rest of the fireballs.

He gets closer and closer to the Koopa King. He raises his spear and yells, "For the princess! For the kingdom! For…"

But Bowser shoots the Blockra again at near point-blank range. General Toad doesn't even flinch when hit. He turns to stone, the ferocity in his face still there.

"For the new king!" Bowser finishes with a grin. Then he steps confidently over the painted line, regardless of the power-down handicap. His soldiers quickly follow suit, raiding the streets of Toad Town.

Captain Toad grows increasingly worried. Suddenly, the door to the castle swings wide open. A bunch of female Toads run out of the castle, almost trampling Captain Toad. The female Toads and few of their children run to their husbands and fathers. Some try to drag the surviving male Toads to safety, while others cling in despair to their petrified loved ones. A few try to protect their homes from looters. Bowser paces his walk to the castle entrance, taking his sweet time. He occasional zaps a Toad here or there with the Blockra if they come too close to him, but for the most part he is too satisfied to care.

Peach and Toadsworth stand on the balcony as still as the Toad statues. Toadsworth starts to shed tears, while the princess looks frustrated and scared at the same time.

"What shall we do now" says Toadsworth in a near nervous breakdown.

Peach's eyes remain fixed on Bowser. The Koopa King halts near the entrance to the castle. He raises a fist and taps the air, revealing the force field still in place. Even with the force field in the way, Captain Toad quivers in fear from being so up close to the Koopa King.

Bowser looks up to Princess Peach leaning over the balcony. "Nice force field you got here, princess!" he mocks, "Kind of like the barrier covering the Special Pipe right now. So, how about you bring down those barriers, and we can talk about the terms of your surrender?"

Peach stands firm. Her mind races. _"I can't! I…I…"_

Bowser turns to the scattered crowd of Toads. He points the Blockra toward one and fires. The female Toad he hits turns to stone. Peach and a bunch of other Toads flinch. Bowser does the same to another Toad. The other Toads flinch again.

Bowser looks back up to the princess, raising his arms. "I can do this all day, princess!" he says.

Princess Peach deeply sighs. After a minute of deep thoughts, she has her final answer. "The Mushroom Kingdom…surrenders."

Bowser grins. He turns around to face Toad Town. He stabs the Blockra staff beside him and breaths fire into the air. "He…ha ha…gwahahahahahahaha!"

* * *

Mario and Luigi are standing in a subway train, taking a ride back to their apartment. They hold their toolboxes in one hand, and hold on to a horizontal handle bar above them with the other hand. The seats and aisle are packed with New Yorkers.

"Hey bro," says Luigi, "if we don't have any more customers, how about we go to Tony's tonight?"

"Pizza again?" says Mario, "I was-a thinking more along the lines of…"

"Lasagna?" he finishes.

"Gee, how did you know?" he says cheekily.

"You ask for that every night."

"Not _every_ night. I sometimes like pasta."

"You know, people are going to think we're a walking Italian stereotype one of these days."

"Well, we can't all be average Joe's!"

They both laugh, when the train suddenly jolts. The brakes screech hard, sending people flying forward, even the ones in their seats. Mario and Luigi lose their grip of the horizontal poles, and have to grab onto the vertical poles to keep themselves from flying into the front of the passenger car.

The train grinds to a halt between stations. Everyone gathers their bearings, making sure they didn't lose anything. The brothers check their hammers in their belt loops and adjust their colored caps.

"What…was that?" says Luigi.

Just then, the train cars shake back and forth a bit. Some faint screams are heard further down the back of the train.

"This better not be an earthquake" says Mario.

Then their train car gets hit hard on one side. Mario and the passengers hold tightly to any part of the poles they can reach. The car sways back and forth for a while, as if a team of people are taking turns pushing the car on either side. When the rattling stops, one of the car doors gets forced open, and in steps a Sidestepper. The crab creature is followed by a Shellcreeper, a couple of Fighter Flies, and a Gotcha Wrench.

"Even worse!" gasps Luigi.

Mario pulls out his golden hammer, and whacks the Gotcha Wrench outside the car before it even knew what hit it. But this gets the attention of the other stowaways. The Shellcreeper is the first to charge at Mario, but he responds with a quick hammer swing. This sends the turtle creature flying toward the Sidestepper, and they both careen out of the car. The Fighter Flies flinch for a second, which allows Luigi to take a whack at them from the side.

"Nice one, Weegee!" Mario starts to run out of the train car. "Everyone else stay in here! Luigi and I will YEOWWWW!" Just as Mario jumps out of the train, he fails to look where he leaps, and lands feet first on a spiky shelled creature.

"I got you, Mario! I'm coming!" Luigi goes to the edge of the car door, and looks at what injured his brother. It was a stubby legged yellow creature, with a small head, and a red shell littered with white coned spikes.

"You're a spiny feller, but you're going to have to go!" Luigi leaps just to the side of the Spiny and whacks it away. Then he helps Mario to his feet. Mario flinches a bit as he steps on his injured foot. "You feel alright?"

"I'll-a be fine. Good thing we wear thick shoes, or that would've-a, owww!" Mario quickly lifts his injured foot off the ground.

"Just hang on to me, bro. I'll bring us over to the nearest station." Unfortunately, a mob of Shellcreepers, Sidesteppers, Fighter Flies, Gotcha Wrenches, and Spinies swarm along the narrow space between the train and the wall of the subway tunnel. Luigi's eyebrows furrow. His eyes focus down the tunnel where the train was. He steps carefully toward where he wants to go. He barely pays any mind to the creatures, which in turn are more occupied with the train and the panicking passengers. Some enemies do try to attack the brothers. But Luigi swings his hammer and swats them away.

It isn't until they are a few yards from the back end of the train that the brothers are clear of enemies. Mario hobbles next to Luigi, holds on to his shoulder with his right arm, and uses his golden hammer as a bit of a crutch. Luigi assists Mario as they continue down the subway tunnel.

"I got you, bro" says Luigi, "just got a bit of a way left to go, and then we'll take a good look at that foot."

"You got it."

* * *

The Koopa Troop begins to storm Peach's Castle now that the shields are put down by said princess. Some of the troops corral the Toads into one large room. Others are positioning the Toad statues around Toad Town. Princess Peach and Toadsworth are standing in her bedroom, expecting the worst. So Peach hands the Super Scope over to Toadsworth.

"Take this and hide with it. All may seem lost now that they have the castle, but things would be even _worse_ if they ever got their hands on this."

Toadsworth nods. "I understand, princess."

"By the way," she continues, squatting down to his eye level, "about those 'heroes' that are supposed to come at our time of greatest need; is this it?"

"Now would be much appreciated," the old Toad puts a hand on Peach's shoulder, "but it probably all depends on what you do next. _Your_ actions that follow will determine if we win, or lose, in the end. Be brave and good luck!" And Toadsworth runs around the corner to find a secret hiding place.

At the same time, the Koopa Troop make their way to the upper floors. Soon, they find Peach's room, surrounding the lone princess.

"Stay where you are!" says a Goomba, "Our king wants a word with you!"

Princess Peach just sighs and waits patiently for the inevitable. _"Okay, stay calm; everything isn't too bad. There is still a chance we could turn this around. My heart power could possibly heal the stoned Toads and turn them back to normal. Then we could all make a surprise attack. Although that would require a lot of energy out of me. Our Toad Council is safely hidden with the Power Star of the castle. They could escape the Mushroom Kingdom when the time is right, and make a plea for an ally kingdom to counterattack. But that will probably take years. And we still have the possible extra heroes to back us up, if they come. Either way, all those plans will require some time."_

Just then, Bowser steps into the room. His soldiers make a path for him to where the Princess stands. He grins, "Now, _princess_, how about those terms for your new _king_!"

She sweat-drops. _"I guess I will have to stall him for that time!"_

* * *

The brothers are at a subway station. Mario sits on a bench as Luigi finishes wrapping bandages around his right foot.

"You know," sighs Luigi, "if you keep rushing recklessly into trouble like that, you're get yourself seriously hurt one of these days."

"I guess" says Mario, "but someone has to take the lead between the two of us."

Luigi cocks an eyebrow. "And what will the other do?"

"Makes sure to _not precisely_ follow the leader."

"Hehe, anyway, what are we going to do about those creatures again? It seems like all our foes have joined forces, and then some."

Mario slowly gets back on his feet. He lifts his golden hammer and taps the head of it on his other hand. "Then we'll-a have to pair up for another round!"

* * *

"So you understand the responsibilities you'll have as the new ruler of the kingdom?" says Princess Peach.

"Of course!" boasts Bowser, "I am a king, am I not?"

"A king is an honorable title indeed. You must be proud to have earned it."

"Indeed I am!" he turns to a couple of Goombas with him in Peach's bedroom. "See! Someone who _sees_ a talented and skilled leader when they see one!"

"Might I ask _how_ you became a _king_?"

Bowser pauses for a split second, then turns to face Peach. "Well, since my, er, last ascendant passed away, I gained the throne and his title once I got old enough." The couple of Goombas snicker silently between themselves. "What about you, _princess_? Aren't you just old enough to become a queen?"

"There's more to a title than just age. If you gained the top title _correctly_, you had to be old enough, you had to have achievements worthy of the title, and you had to be eligible amongst your siblings."

"Hey! I did all that, too! I conquered multiple kingdoms before coming here, all for my kind under my _leadership_."

"And you have no brothers or sisters?"

"Heck, no! I better not!" Bowser crosses his arms. "Look, I came here to reclaim the Mushroom Kingdom to its proper leader. So just hand over what you have left, and I we'll call it a day!"

She sighs, feeling a bit calmer with each passing minute. "Alright, but you might want to have a pen and paper ready. It's quite a list, actually."

* * *

Mario and Luigi feel their way around the subway tunnels while the trains are temporarily out of service. The dim lights allow them to see where they step, which isn't as pretty as they thought it would be.

"So what are we looking for exactly?" says Luigi.

"What we're looking for is a crevice, or opening of some kind that connects the tunnels and the sewers. Those creatures were still in the sewers when we last saw some of them, so they must've found a way to come back…here!" Mario slides his hand against the wall until it stops right in front of a rough-edged hole.

Luigi shines a light through the hole, and the surface of metal piping can be seen on the other side. "Well, our 'pipe sense' never failed us yet." He turns to Mario and motions his hand from him to the hole. "Lead the way, fearless leader."

Mario smirks as he climbs through the hole first. Luigi follows with the flashlight. They both step into the moderately sized sewer pipe, into the shallow steam of water. They both ready their hammers, and begin their search through the sewers.

The sewers grow darker and darker as they proceed. Soft echoes ring through. Even with Luigi's flashlight, the shadows that cross the beam of light slightly put the brothers on edge. Mario tries to use his 'pipe sense' to follow a trail to a larger section of the sewers. Luigi stays close behind with the flashlight. And behind him…a white, round specter floats. Every time Luigi turns around, the ghost covers its eyes and disappears. Then when Luigi faces forward, the ghost reappears and continues making faces out of sight of the brothers.

"Hey, bro? Did you here that?" asks a worried Luigi.

"I don't think I heard anything other than the echo of water dripping" says Mario.

They soon enter a large, dome-like room. As the two brothers make their way to the center of the echoing room, the white ghost follows closely behind them. The ghost taps Luigi's shoulder. Luigi turns around fast, but not before the ghost shuts its eyes and disappears. While Luigi looks the other way, the ghost reappears right under his flashlight, and switches it off. Luigi screams and drops the flashlight. Now the room gets unsettling dark and quiet.

"Oh relax, Weegee," assures Mario. "It's-a just us two. I don't think one of the critters snuck by us unnoticed."

"But something touched me!" quivers Luigi as he desperately feels the ground for the flashlight, "And I think I heard laughter."

"I didn't hear a thing." Luigi finally finds the flashlight. "Besides," Mario continues, "if you didn't see something touch you, they'd had to be…"

Luigi turns on the flashlight between them. Floating before them is a spherical white ghost, with stubby arms and a stubby tail. His eyes squint hard and his fangs gleam in the light.

"A ghost?" snickers the ghost.

Mario and Luigi scream simultaneously. The flashlight flies out of Luigi's hand and into the air. As it spins in place, the light beams all around the room, revealing all the Shellcreepers, Sidesteppers, Fighter Flies, Gotcha Wrenches, and Spinies standing in a circle all around the room. The flashlight lands back in Mario's open hand this time.

"Boo!" laughs the ghost.

The brothers scream again. Luigi cowers behind Mario, while the other tightly grasps the flashlight and his golden hammer.

"Oh, don't worry," says the Boo, "We aren't here to hurt you…yet!"

"Y-you're-a not?" says Mario, starting to calm down a bit. "Well, what are-a you guys up to this time? Going to raid the Empire State Building? Camp out and litter Central Park?"

"Oh no, no, no. Actually, we're quite done with this place you call 'The Big Apple'. Quite a weird name, if you ask me, but then again, we come from a place with much weirder names. We're try to go _back_ to said place, actually!"

"Really?" says Luigi, stepping next to Mario. "Then, why not just go?"

"_Just go_?" the Boo laughs, "We'd love to go back! I'd sure miss the place, as the lights don't bother me as badly. But, unfortunately, we've been blocked off. So for the past few days or so, we could not go back. Fortunately, that's where _you_ come in!"

"Us?" says a slightly confused Mario, "what do you want with us?"

"Well, I've heard a word or two on the street. And you two guys are quite the talk of the city. It's been said that you have done feats that break the barriers of impossibility. So I thought maybe you guys could break a barrier for us."

"Okay…" Mario hesitates. "So where is-a it?"

"First, I'd like to see a bit of proof of your actions." The Boo floats off to one side of the room. "So ghouls and guys…" The creatures get a bit more active. Mario and Luigi ready their hammers. "Go scare their pants off!"

All the creatures charge toward the center of the room where the brothers stand. The noises get as loud as a jackhammer from the additional echoes.

"This is-a nothing, right?" says Mario confidently.

"Just about," shrugs Luigi.

What happens next occurs in mere minutes. The Shellcreepers get side-blinded. The Sidesteppers get stomped. The Fighter Flies get winded. The Gotcha Wrenches get whacked. The Spinies get jabbed. All the enemies barely stand a chance against the fury of twin hammers! When all is said and done, the creatures flee away toward a tunnel out of the room. Mario and Luigi stay where they are to catch their breath.

"Wow, that _was_ impressive!" says the Boo. "Now that you're qualified for the job, let's play a new game. Follow us, if you can!" The Boo laughs as it vanishes into the same tunnel.

"Should we really follow them?" pants Luigi.

Mario hands him the flashlight. "Hold this; I'm-a going to need a free hand where we're going." He starts fast-walking toward the tunnel. "Now, let's-a go!"

"Okeydokey!" he says as he follows his brother.

* * *

"…and the cook will need daily trips to Lostwood Forest to get many crucial ingredients," continues Peach, "such as…"

"We got our own cook, princess!" interrupts a very impatient Bowser. "I think you gave us enough for the list!" A Goomba holds the very, very, very long paper. He has the pen in its mouth, looks at the list in a sort of confused manner, and shrugs. "But, you failed to mention one very important thing!"

"And what is that?"

"You will have to remove the barrier you left on the Special Pipe!" he growls.

"But why bother? It's going to transport itself any moment now, and then you'll have to search for it again, possibly for years, and…"

"It's still there now!" he roars, flames licking the edges of his mouth. "And you will reopen it this instant!"

The princess sweat-drops. _"This might be a good opportunity for me to free the petrified Toads. But the Koopa Troop might get more reinforcement from that Special Pipe, which might hinder our possible future attacks by the Toad Council."_

_ "Your actions that follow will determine if we win, or lose, in the end" _rings Toadsworth earlier words to her.

_"On the other hand…"_ Peach returns her attention to a fuming Bowser. "I'll open the Special Pipe." She gives a small smile to herself. "I hope you find what you're expecting."


	12. Through the Warp Pipe

Mario and Luigi chase after the Boo and his motley crew of previously-encountered enemies through the sewers. As they run deeper and deeper into the sewers, they slowly and surely close the gap between themselves and the Boo.

"I'm-a getting that warm and fuzzy feeling again," Mario says to his brother, "like we had back when Brooklyn was attacked."

"Same here, bro" he replies. "I bet we're getting closer to where they want us to go."

"Or…" Mario gets very close behind the Boo, "we could peg them…" jumps up above him, "right where we are!" he brings the hammer down upon the ghost. To both of their surprise, the hammer makes its mark and pins the Boo down on the ground.

"Ow! Hey, wait!" groans the Boo, "I'm supposed to be a emghost/em! In this world, that means practically emnothing/em can harm me" He stops to ponder what he just said. "So…if I can be harmed now…" His face beams and a huge grin reappears on his face. "We're almost there! We're almost there! Ahahahahaha!" The giddy ghost slips out from under Mario's hammer and speeds ahead in the direction he was already heading.

The brothers shrug and continue their pursuit, this time at a brisk jogging pace. They care less about catching up to their enemies, in case they set a trap. Besides, they had their 'pipe sense' guiding them through and keeping tabs on where the enemies were basically going. In about half an hour, the two begin to hear the cries of agitated critters echoing down the sewer pipe. The distinct laugh of the Boo is particularly audible. They slow down simultaneously to a walking pace.

"If this is an ambush, at least it won't be a surprise" grunts Luigi.

"Hey, Weegee," Mario starts a bit hesitantly, "I have a question for you. And it's-a not about what's-a going on right here and now."

"Okay then, what is it?"

"Do you think Pauline and I have a shot?"

Luigi pauses for a split second. "You two have gotten along together very well, so you've got to be a bit more specific than that. A shot at what exactly?"

Mario gets a bit flustered. "Well, I was thinking that maybe she and I should start going steady…"

"What? Have you even _popped the question_ to her yet?"

"No! I mean, not that steady. Well, you know how we are together…"

"Gee, nobody has ever noticed; not even me" he smirks sarcastically.

"…but the thing is, we've still been treating each other as friends, when on multiple occasions, we've sort of been doing this same 'dance' where we kind of 'like' like each other." He pulls out a small picture of Pauline from one of his belt pockets. "I've just been thinking that maybe we should make our relationship a bit more…"

"Mario. Just tell her. Next time you talk to her, tell her."

He smiles. "Okay, Weegee. I will. And thanks." He then puts the picture back in his belt pocket.

The brothers just reach the end of the sewer pipe and into the upper level of a funnel-shaped room. They look down to see most of their enemies huddling around the bottom of the brick room. The Boo is floating in loops around a large pile of rubble on the floor.

The Boo notices the brothers, and gives them a tooth-filled smile. "Glad you could make it! Come on down; don't be _shy_!"

Mario and Luigi jump down the ramps and pipes jutting out from the brick walls. Most of the enemies glare at them, rearing for another fight. But no one attacks before the two of them reach the lowest level.

"So what's the deal?" asks Mario.

"This pile right here; underneath it is the path to our original homes" says the Boo.

"So you just need us to get the rubble out of the way?" says Luigi. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but why couldn't you guys just move the debris out of the way yourselves?"

"_We_ put the rubble there;" continues the ghost, "even after we uncover the path, there's a barrier a little ways ahead. emThat's/em what's keeping us stuck here."

"Oh." Luigi turns to Mario, who's thinking this scenario over in his head. "So how about it? We help them get out, they get to go home, and we can sleep tonight without worrying about turtles or other strange creatures to fight. Sounds like a fair deal."

"Yes, a very fair deal" the ghost grins.

Mario re-grips his golden hammer. "Alright then; let's unclog this nasty pipe!"

* * *

Bowser leads a division of the Koopa Troop with him to the Special Pipe, which is fortunately still in the same valley. They fly on hovering platforms into the valley and land a close distance. Bowser steps off first, eagerly approaching the pipe. Princess Peach steps off next, forced by Kamek to follow the Koopa King. She has her wrists tied together with rope. While the other Koopa Troop soldiers stay put on the platforms, Bowser, Kamek, and Peach stand close to the front of the entrance to the pipe.

The Koopa King glances over to the princess, his arms crossed. "Well? Go on!"

Peach grits her teeth. "And you'll keep your end of the bargain?"

"Don't push your luck. I only freed a few of your people from petrification. And if you try anything funny, I've got a few prisoners of war back at my bases, waiting to be set as an example! Now…remove the force field!"

Kamek gives the princess another jab from behind, to which she responds with a glare. Then she steps up directly in front of the Special Pipe. She closes her eyes and takes deep breaths.

_"This is it,"_ she says to herself, _"no turning back. I must free my people!"_ She raises her hands to the front of her chest. Her hands glow a pink aura, and so does the inside of the Special Pipe.

Bowser grins behind her. "Soon, my conquest will be complete!"

* * *

Mario, Luigi, the Boo, and the other enemies smash and move the rubble out of the way. After moving a sheet of metal, the last of the debris is moved away. Mario's 'pipe sense' reveals that the path of the piping snakes downward like a corkscrew. However…

"That's really weird!" exclaims Mario, "I can't 'see' where this goes at all!"

"Neither can I!" says an equally baffled Luigi. He turns to the Boo. "This isn't a trap, is it?"

"This is no trick," says the Boo, "check for yourself."

Luigi takes out his flashlight and shines it down the pipe. No further than half a meter does the beam of light stop, revealing a thinly-layered pink mist. Mario takes a brick, dropping it down the pipe. But the brick abruptly halts half a meter down, and a force field of pink light is really revealed.

"I've never seen anything like it!" Mario says with amazement.

"Yes, see!" cries the Boo, "It's that force field; we can't get through that."

Luigi still stares at the force field in disbelief. "This may be out of our field of expertise, bro. emWay/em out."

Mario takes a look at his golden hammer, then toward the pink force field that flickers out of visibility, then back to his hammer. He stands up and grips his hammer. "Well, maybe emyou/em and your hammer can't, but perhaps emmy/em hammer might."

Luigi stands up as well, looking a bit hesitant. "Well, I guess that's possible, considering how much of a wallop it delivered to Mouser and his baddies. But still…" he puts a hand in one of his belt pockets and pulls out a small spool of metal wire. "Let's just be on the safe side."

Mario cocks an eyebrow. "You're going to use emthat/em as a tether?"

"It's pretty strong. Not as good as rope, but…"

"We've got rope," pipes up the Boo, and the other enemies jostle a bit until they pass up a rope to the front of their crowd. "We were going to use it for possible hostages, but I suppose you can use it to tie yourselves up!" The ghost laughs.

"Thanks?" Luigi cautiously takes the rope from the Sidestepper holding it. He then tethers himself and his brother with the rope to one of the smaller pipes jutting out of the wall. "Alright, bro, whenever you're ready…"

* * *

"You done yet, princess?" Bowser says impatiently.

"It's just about ready." Peach replies._"And while Bowser is distracted by his new minions, I should be able to free the Toads…with what strength I got left. Now just one final break should…"_

As soon as she lifts off the force field, a huge gust of wind blasts out of the Special Pipe. This knocks Peach, Bowser, and Kamek off their feet and flings them backward across the small valley. Everyone present ducks and hunkers down as low as they can while gale force winds continue to blow out.

* * *

Mario approaches the floor piping, with Luigi right next to him and holding his hammer at the ready. Just as Mario lifts his golden hammer above, the pinkish force field flickers out, and a loud whoosh sound roar from the pipe. Everyone present staggers back.

"What in the…" the brothers exclaim simultaneously.

What happens next is utter chaos. First the room quakes. Cracks form in the piping connected to the room, and water gushes out. Then, while all of that happens, the whoosh sound gets even louder, and all the air in the room gets sucked down the pipe. A vortex of water, debris, and dust swirls around the room, creating a whirlpool that drains down the pipe at the center of the floor. Everyone screams as they brace for what little cover they got.

* * *

"Kamek!" Bowser roars over the even louder howling winds as he tries to stand upright against the air pressure. "Why the hell is all this wind coming out of the pipe?!"

Kamek remains pinned to the ground next to his king. "Those barriers must have been holding up a lot of air pressure, or something! I may know magic, but this is a bit out of my range of expertise, my lord!"

Peach also lies pinned to the ground a bit away from the rest of the Koopa Troop. She looks dazed and winded, but still puts as much effort to remain conscious. "…wasn't the result I was expecting," she mutters to herself, "but now's as good as any distraction to free my people!" She focuses inward, pooling as much 'heart power' as she can muster. She thinks about all those soldiers and innocent bystanders who were harmed by Bowser's Blockra. Each mental check focuses in on each victim like a GPS tag. Then, once she thinks she's got all of them in her collected thoughts, she releases her pool of 'heart power'. But with all that energy expelled at such a large range and volume, she gasps and flickers greatly out of consciousness. "I…it is done…"

After another minute of blustery winds, the Special Pipe suddenly fades out of existence. Thus, the winds die out quickly. Bowser looks toward the Special Pipe, but there is only a smooth rock face where it once was.

"It's…gone…" Bowser stares blankly at the empty wall for a second. Then his face morphs from a disbelief to rage. "Nooooo!" he shouts as he expels a jet of flame into the air. After a bit of fuming he turns to Kamek and Peach. The Magikoopa stands back up, but the princess remains motionless on the ground. Both he and Kamek approach the princess. "Hey, princess!"

Kamek pokes his wand at Peach's side a few times, but she doesn't respond. "I think removing the force field and the wind blast knocked her out stone cold, your magnificentness!" he exclaims.

Bowser semi-carefully scoops up the princess and holds her over his left shoulder with one arm. "Then we're done here!" He gets back onto one of the floating platforms. All of his troops stand aboard the platforms and regain their attention for the Koopa King. "Head back to our bases! We need to make sure she did not screw anything else up!"

* * *

The vortex of water and air remains relentless. Mario and Luigi hang on to their ropes for dear life. Both of them have lost their hammers to the torrent of water. The water surges across the floors they cling to, making it even more slippery and difficult to hold. One by one, the enemies around them get sucked down the pipe at the center of the chaos. Even the Boo giddily twirls about as he goes with the flow.

"Eeheeheeheehee! We did it! We're going home!" His laughing get drowned out as soon as he disappears down the pipe.

The vacuum-like vortex feels as if it only gets stronger and stronger with each passing second. Small debris scrapes against the brothers as they are forced to resort to keep hold of the rope, so as the loop of rope around their waist doesn't tug too tight from the suction. Mario struggles to inch his way up the rope little by little. Luigi also tries to do the same thing. But some rough debris rubs hard against his rob, creating a tear in the middle. Neither of them notices the inevitable.

Mario hears a loud snap. He quickly turns around and sees Luigi flailing and screaming as the spiraling water takes him down the pipe.

"Nooo!" Without a second thought, Mario grabs a thin rod that washes by him. Then he quickly unties the rope around his waist. Mario blindly swims his way down the shallow torrent of water, albeit tussling about like a ragdoll.

"Mario! Help!" cries Luigi as he is about to fall into the pipe. Mario half-squints as he reaches his free hand out to the bit of rope still tied and hanging off of Luigi's waist. Luigi falls in first. Mario also follows suit. But to their luck, the rod Mario holds is just long enough that it surpasses the diameter of the floor pipe. Mario struggles to hold onto both the rod in his right hand and his brother hanging there helplessly by the rope in his other hand.

Luigi takes a look around the pipe. The walls are clad in green. The pipe begins its spiral path a few meters below Luigi. He can still feel the suction from below as well, which also puts a great strain on Mario's grasp.

"Hey, Mario, I think I lost my hammer" says Luigi. "If you still got yours, I can…"

"I…don't" Mario groans. Then something distracts his attention briefly. By some miraculous probability, the picture of Pauline had fallen out of Mario's belt pocket and got stuck in a crevice. It flaps in the wind, right in front of Mario's face. He finds himself staring at the picture, until the rod he holds begins to bend.

At this point, Mario realizes he won't make it out, and neither will his brother. They won't be going back to the surface. They won't be returning to their apartment. They won't be continuing their plumbing job in Brooklyn. And for Mario, he won't be seeing Pauline anytime soon.

Mario weeps silently. The rod bends more and more. Luigi keeps making quick glances above and below him. As the rod begins to slim off the edges of the entrance to the pipe, Mario takes one last look at the Pauline picture.

"I'm so sorry, Pauline, that I won't be able to tell you how I…"

The rod slips out of place completely.

For what feels like hours, Mario and Luigi tumble through the dark and twisting path of the pipe. They both scream, beg for the falling to stop.

Then, a light at the other end appears before them. A few seconds later, the brothers fly out of the Special Pipe. They land in a huge field of grass. They take a minute just to gather their bearings.

Luigi is the first to look up. "Um…bro?" His eyes grow really wide. "Please tell me it's just me. I think the hills are looking at me!"

Mario also looks up. His eyes grow wide with disbelief. While they did lie in a huge grassy field, hills surrounded them. Some of these hills even had…blank-staring eyes. And even stranger was the amount of blocks and bricks everywhere. They were shaped like big cubes, and some even remained suspended in midair.

"I'm-a seeing it, Luigi," he says, "and I don't think we're in Brooklyn anymore!"


	13. The New World Order

Mario and Luigi continue to stare at their new surroundings. The green hills with eyes, the hundreds of thousands of brick cubes, and the bright white clouds shaped like the bushes below them all boggle their minds. The brothers still lie on their stomachs.

"This is…wow, this is…" starts Mario.

"…nice grass?" finishes Luigi. The two look finally get up on their feet.

Mario takes a breath. "This air is-a much fresher than New York. I feel a bit better already."

"Same. But maybe we should get back…" Luigi turns around and yelps. Mario looks as well, and is shocked to notice the pipe they came out of…to be completely gone. "Oh no! Where did it go? How are we ever going to get back now?" Luigi begins running circles around his brother as the latter ponders the predicament.

Mario tugs on the back of Luigi's shirt collar to get his attention. "Look, we're-a in a new place, with new people, and probably new physics too. If this is-a the same kind of things we've-a encountered in New York, then at least we don't have a lot of adapting to work on."

"I think this is already too much to adapt to! We need to look for help to get back home right away!"

He smiles. "That's-a novel idea; beats standing around. Besides, I'd like to get a good look at the lay of the land." With that, the brothers walk toward the sun.

* * *

Two Koopa Troopas move the statue of General Toad to a large side room in Peach's Castle. "There, that should be the last of them," says one of them.

"Yeah, our king certainly got a lot of them!"

Suddenly, all the Toad statues begin to glow, much to the utter shock of the two Koopas. The statues crack bit by bit. Then the rough surface sheds off, and all the Toads begin to stretch about. General Toad takes a couple of seconds to realize where he is. Then he sees the two Koopas clutching each other in fear, and it doesn't take any time at all to know what to do with them.

The other Toads watch as General Toad makes quick work of the Koopas, stomping on them and kicking their shells into a far corner of the room. General Toad picks up a nearby wooden chair, shatters it, and holds a piece in each hand. "Come with me!" He shouts. "This war is hardly over!" Then all the Toads rush out of the room, making battle cries as they attack the unsuspecting Goombas and Koopas.

* * *

It takes a while for the brothers to realize it is still morning where they are. But they are too busy looking around to notice what time of day it is. Yellow and brick blocks stay suspended in various configurations, sometimes near a steep wall of rock to make it easier to make it over, and sometimes for no apparent reason. But the brothers walk along the grassy flats toward the morning son, assuming that at some point they would reach a town or city of some kind.

Luigi begins to drag behind his brother. "It feels like we've been walking for hours. Maybe we should rest."

Mario looks up to the sun, still hanging low in the light blue sky. "Strange. Still looks like it's-a morning. But sure, let's stop for a few minutes."

The two rest their backs against a hillside by some yellow blocks. Then Mario's stomach growls. "You may be right, Weegee. It may be still morning here, but my stomach thinks it's-a lunch time."

"Maybe we're on the west coast?"

He cocks an eyebrow. "With hills like these? Then we must have landed on the movie set of a bad video game movie." Then the two stop talking as they faintly hear different voices just down the grassy lane. "Hey, some intelligent life is coming our way!" As Mario and Luigi get back up, four brown mushroom-like beings walk their way. They file in two pairs, one directly behind the other.

"Do you think the princess moved the Special Pipe?" says one chestnut mushroom.

"Dude, that pipe is _always_ moving," says another one. "we're lucky we got the tanks and stuff as is."

"What about those Sidesteppers and Fighter Flies we sent in there?" says the third one.

"Better us then them, I say" says the last one.

Then the four fungus beings stop in their tracks as they stand before Mario and Luigi. The brothers in turn freeze. Both parties look at each other bewildered for several seconds.

Mario gives a weak smile. "Um, hi?"

"Who the heck are _these_ mooks?" whispers one of the mushroom guys in the back to the one next to him.

"They look human," he whispers back. "Maybe they are allied with the princess!"

"Alright…you!" says one of the mushroom guys in the front. "What's your business here?"

"We're, uh, lost," pipes Luigi.

"You guys wouldn't happen to know where the nearest town is, would you?" asks Mario.

The creatures give a stern look. "You best turn back then, while we're in a good mood!" says one of them in the front. "All this here is Lord Bowser's land now. And unless you'd like to share a cell next to the princess…scram!"

"Uh, could we have a minute?" Luigi motions Mario to turn around and bend in close to each other. "Whatever the hell these things are, they seem like bad news!"

"Me, too," says Mario.

"What do we do now?"

Mario ponders for a second, then pounds a fist down on his other hand. "We talk it out. If my hunches are-a right, they might know more than they let on." The brothers then turn to the mushroom guys. "Look, maybe we started out on the wrong foot. I'm-a Mario, and this is-a my brother, Luigi. Who, or rather what, are-a you?"

The creatures look a bit miffed. "Hey!" says one in the front, "You better watch your tongue, human! We Goombas are the toughest, smartest creatures of the Koopa Kingdom! So you'd best show some respect!"

"Sorry, okay! It's just that, I've-a seen turtles, crabs, and flies your size, but I've-a never seen anyone like you guys before…"

"Wait, what? What do _you_ know about Shellcreepers, Sidesteppers, and Fighter Flies?" The Goombas take a few steps closer. "_Where_ did you see them?"

The brothers sweat drop. "We'll, they were-a trashing my city, and I got lost when I got in a tangle with them…"

"They fought the Shellcreepers!" gasps one of the Goombas in the back. "They must be agents of the princess sent to stop them!"

The Goombas all line up in a row. "Alright, bubs! Nobody messes with the Koopa King's plans. You've come back to the wrong place for the last time!" Then they charge at the brothers single file.

Mario and Luigi yelp and leap back high. Really high. Mario leaps all the way onto a floating brick block, while Luigi leaps even higher and longer, until he slips and lands further back. The Goombas hesitate, but keep charging toward Luigi now. Mario leaps onto the back Goomba. With a loud plop, the Goomba is knocked out cold. The Goombas halt. They are shocked to find their comrade defeated in one blow. "Get him, quick!" They charge at Mario this time, in a single file once again.

But they forget Luigi, who now gets up and runs from behind them. He punches one of them in the head. While this does knock the Goomba down, Luigi clenches his fist. "Geez, you guys have rocks for brains or something?"

The two remaining Goombas notice Luigi again. While the two flinch, Mario jumps up above them. He stomps onto one's head, and then stomps on the other in the same jump. Finally, Mario lands right next to the Goomba Luigi punched.

"Ug, I'd rather take a Toad's spear than whatever mean hook that was." He then notices the other three Goombas knocked out, and a man in red and blue standing next to him.

"I apologize," Mario scoffs, "_now_ we've-a started on the wrong foot."

"Look, man," stammers the Goomba, "I'm just a patrol guy. But I've got plenty others like me back at our base. So if you think you're just gonna walk away quietly…"

Mario stomps his heel inches from the Goomba's face. The Goomba yelps, but Luigi stands behind him, arms crossed. "I guess you do have rocks for brains," scoffs Luigi.

"Now listen here," Mario says sternly. "Those Shellcreepers, Sidesteppers, and Fighter Flies you mentioned? We've-a beat them. _All_ of them. Ourselves. How many did you guys send over? Hundreds? Over a thousand? And that was-a _before_ we could leap as high and stomp as hard as you've-a seen us." Mario gets his face-up close to the Goomba's panic-stricken face. "But we're-a tired, and we just want a place to get our bearings straight. So unless you want a sample of what you're-a buddies got, how about you just tell us where the nearest town is…now!"

"Ack! Okay! Okay! The capital is a bit a ways down the grass path we came from. It's east of here. Just please, don't stomp me!"

He smiles. "There, thank you. Let's-a go, Luigi."

The brothers continue down the grassy path the Goomba pointed out. Luigi seems a bit shell-shocked. "I've…never jumped so high before! How?"

"I don't know, but…" Mario chuckles to himself, "that felt…awesome! And those stomps felt so invigorating! I've-a never been so pumped with adrenaline like that…ever. I like this place already."

"Let's get to that capital first before we think of settling down, shall we?"

H-h-hey!" shouts the Goomba, now left several feet behind the brothers next to his fallen comrades. "There are plenty more Goombas at the capital! And Koopa Troopas! So you'd better turn away while you can still walk free!"

The brothers look at each other. "I know what you're-a going to say, Weegee," says Mario, "but we should still go to that capital. It's-a the only place we know around…wherever we are."

"I figure as much, bro," he replies gloomily. "But we don't have our hammers anymore." He points to their belt loops.

Mario sighs in response. "Maybe so. But what do we need hammers for if we got some good ol' stomping shoes." Mario begins to jump around the grassy area. "Come on. We'll practice along the way."

Luigi sighs. "Better than improv, I guess."

* * *

General Toad gets into a fight with a Hammer Bro in the middle of Toad Town. The Hammer Bro smashes the two wooden sticks the general was using, but the general flings the splinters at his foe. This forces the Hammer Bro to fall over and crawl away in pain. General Toad takes a moment to survey the chaos around him. All the other Toads are busy fighting off two or three soldiers of the Koopa Troop. And soon, four Goombas and another Hammer Bro rush at the general. "We don't have time to fight like this for long," he growls. "Got to think of a plan."

Meanwhile, Toadsworth sneaks out of his hiding place in the castle and carefully walks up to the balcony. He is crestfallen to see that the Toads are, once again, scrambling about just trying to outlast the Koopa Troop soldiers still situated at their capital. "Oh no! Looks like we're doomed to repeat the last battle again."

Then something at the border of Toad Town catches Toadsworth's eye. He pays closer attention and spots two non-Toad beings clad in red and green lying flat on a rooftop. The two seem to be watching what is going on and whispering to each other. The old Toad rubs his eyes. "Either my eyes have gone real bad, or…" Just as he tries to get a closer look, the two beings jump off the roof and onto street level. Toadsworth stands there confused for a second. Then his face lights up. "Maybe…"

General Toad gets knocked hard against a building by a Hammer Bro. Two Goombas join the Hammer Bro and surround the general. The Hammer Bro sneers and raises a hammer over the body-ached Toad. "Ah, crud" winces the general. He squints his eyes as he waits helplessly for his fate.

Suddenly, a man in red and a man in green each stomp on a Goomba near the Hammer Bro. Just as the hammer wielder turns to figure out what hit them, the brothers jump into the air. The Hammer Bro lowers his hammer, thinking the threat is at ground level. Unfortunately for him, the man in red stomps on his head, knocking him out cold. The man in green lands beside General Toad, and notices that this Toad is wearing a badge.

"Hey, bro," says the one in green to the one in red, "I think this one might be their leader. Or at least an officer of some kind."

The red guy walks up to the general, offers a hand, and smiles. "Need some help?"

General Toad looks astonished, but reaches for the red guy's hand. "Who…" He winces again as he tries to get up. The man in green helps the general lie back down against the building.

"Look, I'll cut to the chase. I'm-a Mario, and this is-a my brother Luigi. We're-a here to help."

The general gives a wiry half-smile. "If that's so…get every Goomba, Koopa, and Hammer Bro out of my town…by any means necessary!"

Mario tips his cap. "Will do." And the two jump into another fight down town.

The fight quickly turns to the Toads' favor. Mario and Luigi simply leap from building to building, running along the rooftops. Whenever they spot a member of the Koopa Troop harassing a Toad, one of them leaps off, jumps on the poor soldier's head, and rebounds back to the rooftops before it know what hit them. The Toads get more vigorous as they see the battle shift to their advantage. A half an hour later, the Koopa Troop calls for a retreat.

As the streets clear of enemies and the Toads begin to settle down, Mario and Luigi run back to General Toad. Two Toad doctors are already upon the fallen general.

The general looks up to Mario and Luigi, who stand by his stretcher. "You're as good as your word. The princess…would be proud…" General Toad closes his eyes and quickly sleeps out of exhaustion.

"But, we still have questions…" Luigi starts.

"Then how about you ask me?" The brothers turn to the voice. An old brown spotted Toad with a mushroom cane approaches them. "Besides, I have a few questions myself."

"Okay then…" Mario takes a deep breath. "For us…where are-a we, what's-a been going on, and who are-a you mushroom guys?"

"…What he said," adds Luigi.

Toadsworth eyes them suspiciously. "Well, I guess if you aren't from around here, I guess it's only fair that I fill you in. Though I would think that anyone for miles around would've at least _heard_ of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"We…never heard of _any_ Mushroom Kingdom before" starts Mario.

"…or seen anyone like you guys" Luigi finishes.

Toadsworth nearly drops his cane. "Oh my…" Tears nearly fill his eyes. "You must be the ones who…I mean, of course." He tries to regain his composure, but only just. "If you aren't anywhere from around here, then I must fill you in." Toadsworth motions the brothers to follow him into Peach's Castle as he continues talking. "I'm Toadsworth. My kind is called Toad. We are the main civilians of what's left of our Mushroom Kingdom. We are standing in the capital of the kingdom, Toad Town. But our defining icon is the Mushroom Castle." The three of them step through the main doors of the castle. The floors and walls are battered, some of the paintings are shredded, and furniture remains sprawled around. But the brothers are amazed nonetheless.

"Never been in a castle before" says Luigi.

"Sorry for the mess, or this would be even more impressive."

"I heard talk of a princess," begins Mario, "Is-a this her castle? Is-a she here?"

Toadsworth heaves a great sigh. "Sadly, she's been kidnapped." At this moment, the old Toad leads the brothers to a balcony on the east side of the castle.

"I'm-a sorry…" Mario dazes out as he looks down at his feet.

"It comes with the price of war…" Toadsworth continues, almost breaking down. "If you lived as long as me, you'd think we have always been at war." He points his cane off into the distance. Mario and Luigi notice small, stone castles off in the distance. "That is where the Koopa Troop lies. Our kind and theirs has not always been on good terms. And just recently, they nearly took us down. This castle…our town down below…our princess…is all that is left of our once prosperous kingdom." He turns to the brothers. "I know this is asking much of you, and you probably just got here, but please, rescue our princess. She is our most powerful and potential asset our kingdom has, in more ways than one."

Mario looks back down. Luigi is taken aback. "Um, I feel really bad for what you guys are going through, I do," says Luigi. "But we only came here by accident, and we just wanted to know how to get back…"

Toadsworth leaps in front of Luigi and grabs him by his overall straps. His eyes appear bloodshot. "Please! You are our last shot we got! And she's all _I_ have left! I swore to her father I'd protect her! Losing her means...losing everything. You understand what it's like to lose someone you care about, right?!"

"_Pauline…"_ Mario whispers to himself. Then he looks up. "Alright, we'll help you save her."

Toadsworth immediately lets go of Luigi and crawls to Mario, almost kissing his feet. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"But please, once we save her and push back the Koopa Troop, will you tell us how we can get back through the pipe we came through?"

"Of course, of course, anything for you!"

"Well, in that case…" Luigi begins, but Mario takes him by the arm as he walks back into the castle.

"Any useful tips we might need before we take on an entire army?"

"Those yellow blocks that float around the kingdom," says Toadsworth as he gets back on his feet, "If you hit them hard enough, you might find something useful in them."

He cocks an eyebrow. "Thanks." Then he begins to head into the castle with his brother.

"Oh, and be careful of the Koopa King! He's got more than the princess as a hostage. And his new weapon can turn beings to stone!"

The two brothers look at each other for a worrisome second. "We'll be extra careful if we see him." Mario and Luigi run down the castle stairs and out into the town.

Toadsworth watches as the brothers run out of town and toward the bases of the Koopa Troop. "You guys…remind me of the ones I sent away years ago…" he says to himself. He clenches a hand on the balcony railing. "If that is true, then you really are one of the destined heroes of legend."

Mario and Luigi continue their brisk pace toward the nearest Koopa Troop base they saw earlier. "Okay, so let me get this straight:" starts Luigi, "we are going to use our super jumping abilities we never had before to take down an army of mushroom and turtle men we never encountered much before to save a princess of Toads who don't look like their namesake, all to get back home."

Mario laughs, "Yep, that pretty much sums up our new adventure."

He smirks back. "Just checking. Let's just get this over with!"

Mario leaps ahead. "Let's-a go!"

* * *

Captain Toad wakes up in a dimly lit dungeon. "Where am I? How…" He looks around and notices dozens of other Toads with him. They are locked up in a prison cell, with two Hammer Bros guarding their locked bars. The other Toads huddle in the back of their cell, gloomily hunched over. When he looks over to the next cell over, he sees the princess lying on the floor. "Princess!" he cries as he rushes over to the bars lined between the cells. "Princess, wake up! Are you alright?" But no answer comes from her.

Just then, the doors to the dungeon open not too far ahead of their cells. The Toads squint as they see Kamek enter the room. The Hammer Bros snap to attention.

"We've got trouble" Kamek says crossly. "Toad Town has been taken back from us."

The two Hammer Bros stand there confused. The Toads perk up at the sound of that news.

"Right now, the Toads have sent some special operatives our way; the same ones that trashed our soldiers situated there. And we've heard stories of how strong they are."

The Toads begin to whisper gleefully to each other. "Yes!" Captain Toad cheers to himself.

Kamek walks right up to the cell bars. The Toads step back a bit, their smiles fading away instantly. "So, as an added precaution, we're going to have to split them up between our bases." He sneers, "and we've got some extra _surprises_ our king would _love_ to show to those…_heroes_!"


	14. One-Man Superstar (Part 1)

Mario and Luigi reach the sloped edge of the expansive Mushroom Fields. Within seconds of taking in the sites, Mario rushes toward the first fort he sees. But Luigi stays put at the crest of the slope and takes a few minutes to look at what they're getting into.

"Wait a second, bro…" Luigi calls, but his brother is already strides ahead of him. But what he sees is the only thing that stops him in his tracks. While this field is wide and flat most of the time, it is peppered with yellow blocks, brick blocks, mini-slopes, green pipes, and tide pools. Also within this expansive grassy field are eight stone forts, erected by the Koopa Troop. His eyes widen. "…this could take a while."

Mario surges ahead, making a beeline for the first Goomba he sees. The enemy grunt spots him likewise, and begins steadily charging forth.

"One more step, and you will face the wrath of the Koopa Troop!" the Goomba battle cries.

"Alright then," Mario scoffs. He jumps high into the air, and lands squarely on the Goomba's head, knocking it out. "Bite me." But his brief cry in pain does alert a bunch of the Goombas nearby. Mario notices a couple yellow blocks suspended mid-air nearby. "Toadsworth did say they can be useful…" he walks beneath them, and tilts his head up in slight befuddlement. Then he shrugs it off and punches the bottom of the first block. To his surprise, a Super Mushroom pops out from the top of the yellow block. It rolls off the block, bounces off a green pipe nearby, and stops right at Mario's feet.

He picks up the Super Mushroom, slightly bigger than his gloved hand. He pokes it; no reaction. He pokes it again, with no change. "What the heck am I supposed to do with this 'shroom?" A battle cry from the approaching Goombas startles him for a second. This causes him to squeeze the Super Mushroom in a reflex. He crushed the 'shroom just enough to reduce it into sparkling particles. The particles then embed in his fist, and spreads throughout his entire body. A tingling sensation surges throughout his entire body. "Wow!" His face brightens and perks up like a shot of espressos. A slightly pale glow emanates from his body.

Some of the Goombas and Koopa Troopas reach where Mario still stands, weaving around green warp pipes. Mario snaps to their attention. His muscles tense. A glint sparkles in his eyes. "Bad timing, Koopa Troop!" He runs toward the Goombas first, which slow down their run toward him. He jumps on each Goomba, knocking them out with every stomp. The couple of Koopa Troopas that joined them noticed the fallen Goombas, and begin to turn the other way. "Oh no you don't!" Mario catches up to the Koopa Troopas quickly, and jumps on them too. However, they retreat into their shells just as he's about to stomp on them. Mario tries to stomp on one of them again, but the exterior proved too tough to even make a dent. Furthermore, the roundness of its shell leaves Mario slightly off-balanced and slip off the shell. Them the green shell spins off the force of Mario's stomp, sliding on the grassy flats 'til it was out of sight. Then three more Goombas came charging toward Mario. But Mario simply kicks the other green shell toward them, hitting all three Goombas in a row.

Mario continues across the grassy plains to another cluster of bricks, with one yellow block nestled within the rows. A couple of Goombas march along the highest row of bricks, and notice Mario. Though before they even get to ground level, Mario jumps up from below them. He's aiming to punch them where they stand. However, he misjudges the trajectory and ends up punching the bricks they stand on. Baffling enough, he also misjudges his own strength, and ends up breaking the bricks to dust with one punch. While this much force from the bricks' destruction doesn't stop Mario's momentum, it does knock the two Goombas off their feet, and out of action. "Wow!" he says upon landing back onto the grass, "Those mushrooms make me feel refreshed _and_ stronger than ever!"

Mario notices that the lone yellow block was the only floating block that wasn't destroyed by his punch. Curious, he tries punching it directly. The block stays resiliently in place without a scratch. But it does change color from yellow to brown. Furthermore, a strange red flower with small eyes sprouts from the block. "Hm, I wonder what _this _strange plant can do for me." He jumps up to reach the flower and crushes it. Almost instantly, his hand grows red hot as the flower crumbles to particles and fuses with him. Mario shrieks and waves his right arm back and forth, trying to cool off his hand. Then he notices that his clothes change. While they maintain the same design, his signature red shirt and hat are changes to white, while his blue overalls change to deep red.

"O…kay…" He flexes his fingers, which are still very warm and slightly steaming. "A little hot to touch, but…" Then some Goombas come running his way. He moves into a fighting stance, but as he whips his arms quickly, a small fireball forms in each hand. "Aaaack!" Mario frantically waves his hands, which quickly flick the fireballs away from him. One fireball bounces across the grassy terrain and into a shocked Goomba. It blasts in its face, knocking out the now sooty Goomba.

As the other Goombas looks at each other over what to do next, Mario looks at his hands, now definitely steaming, but cooling down. His eye glints as the gears in his head turn. Mario begins walking toward the Goombas, snapping his right fingers. After a few tries, he gets a small fireball developed again. Casually, he flings the fireball toward one of the Goombas, knocking it out. This gets their attention and they charge at him. Mario runs toward them as well, and this time is able to snap up some more fireballs more quickly. In a few seconds, he scores direct hits against the remaining Goombas. "I'm-a really liking this super power!" Mario exclaims gleefully.

A few paces later, Mario finds another cluster of yellow blocks. "Let's-a see what power-up is under block number three." He punches the bottom of one. But only one gold coin slightly larger than his fist pops out. He catches it in his hands. It has an oval symbol on both sides. "Oh, so this is-a what a Mushroom coin…" Almost immediately, the shrinks in his hands until it disappears with a slight ringing sound. He scratches his head. "…maybe my fiery hands are-a melting it?" He hits the other yellow blocks. Each time, a coin comes out. And each time, the coin shrinks to nothing in his hands. One block even has multiple coins, but every one of them shrunk to nothing as Mario made contact with it. "Geez, this place just keeps getting weirder and weirder…"

He continues on, climbing over some block mounds. Over the last tall mound, he spots a small encampment of Goombas. By the base of their small camp, a flag pole hangs the flag of their king's emblem. Mario makes a short running start, and then leaps for the flag pole. He just makes it to the top, surprising the Goombas below. As he slides down the pole, he flings fireballs at each Goomba to knock them out. He also accidentally loosens the rope, undoing the knots that kept the flag up.

Mario takes a breather for a minute. "Man, what a rush! Just a couple dozen more or so to go!" Just then, Luigi comes leaping off the same mound and sliding down the flag pole. He runs up to his brother, keeping a hand on his shoulder to keep himself standing straight to catch his breath. "Hey, Weegee! You alright? What took you so long?"

"I was just taking a look at what we were going to deal with," he gasps. "There are at least eight forts scattered about the area, each with dozens of enemies sprawled across the grassy plains nearby them. And we'll probably have to take out all of them."

"So which is-a the closest one?"

Luigi points in the direction opposite of the block mound they jumped from. Then he gets a better look at what's directly around him. "How are those Goombas singed...and when and where did you change your clothes?!"

But Mario barely pays heed to his questions. "Oh good! Then let's-a go!" He sprints off.

"Hey, wait up!" He follows his brother close behind.

* * *

"Wakey-wakey, princess!"

Princess Peach stirs and flutters her eyes open. She wakes up, lying face-down on the cobblestone floor. The entire room she's in is dimly lit and entirely made of stone. "Where…" She looks up toward a towering, smirking Bowser.

"You cease to amaze me, princess."

She immediately gets to her feet, scowling as she tries to brush off any dust and grime smudged on her pink dress. "I aim to please, considering you have gotten exactly what you wanted."

"Not quite," Bowser crosses his arms.

Peach cocks an eyebrow, also noticing that besides Bowser and herself, the room they are in is empty, save for a couple of torches on the walls. And Bowser blocks the only doorway.

"Yes, I did conquer your entire kingdom, and you did hold your end of the surrender by re-opening the Special Pipe." His grin disappears. "However, it seems not all of your subjects agreed to the surrender. _And_ I wonder how those stone statues came undone?"

The princess sweat-drops, but stands a bit straighter, even though Bowser still towers over her. "Then it would seem not all magical artifacts have permanent effects."

Bowser bends over and sternly looks into her eyes, face-to-face. While she leans back a bit in disgust, she barely moves an inch from where she stands. "Regardless of if you are behind this coup or not…and I think you _are_ behind this, somehow…you can still make up for this useless counterattack by calling off your two boy scouts."

"…who?"

Bowser steps back a bit. "Don't play dumb with me, princess. You managed to hide two humans in your kingdom, who have just taken back your castle and capitol from my forces."

Peach gasps and clasps a hand near her mouth. "They…came through?!" she squeaks silently. Her eyes grow wide as she tries to process the changing situation.

He growls, "And now they are heading this way as we speak!"

* * *

The brothers approach a double-headed green pipe. Mario puts a hand on the pipe and uses his 'pipe sense' to see where it goes.

"Pretty wide pipe tunnel with high ceilings; it seems there are a few of those Goombas and turtle things down there. I can't tell how far ahead it goes for some reason, but it might be a way to get to the forts faster."

"Perhaps. The surface is crawling with enemies, wouldn't hurt to see if going underground is the better option."

After nodding to each other, the brothers slip down the pipe. The two stomp on two unsuspecting Goombas upon landing below. Then they run to a set of yellow blocks. Mario hits each one of them, with mostly coins coming out that shrink into his palms. One Fire Flower does sprout from it.

Luigi stands there dreadfully confused. "Why…what happened…what?"

"Hey, Weegee, try crushing that flower on the block," he shouts over his shoulder, "It'll give you some fire power!"

"Um, okay…" Luigi jumps directly onto the Fire Flower and crushes it beneath his feet. The flower crushes to dust particles and fuses itself with Luigi. While the taller brother is too shocked to move, his blue overalls change to green, his shirt and signature hat change to white, and his gloves begin to smolder. He jumps around frantically, waving his arms. "My hands! My hands are on fire! Why? How do I stop this? How do I control this?"

Mario notices some Goombas and Koopa Troopas coming their way and runs toward them. "Come on, Weegee! You'll get the hang of it in a few snaps." While Luigi tries his best to keep up and fan the fireballs he spawns in his hands, his brother barrels ahead. He stomps enemy heads, kicks shells, flings fireballs, and punches through walls of bricks.

"When the heck did you get super strong?!" Luigi exclaims.

Mario jumps over a couple of small chasms. "It's-a from these wacky plants in this world. The mushrooms give us super strength, while the flowers give us fire powers. Isn't this place great?" Just as Mario is talking back to Luigi, he jumps over a green pipe. But it isn't vacant.

"Bro, look out!" Luigi cries as he spots a strange plant creature with sharp teeth lunge out of the green pipe.

Unfortunately, Mario just barely notices the danger. The carnivorous plant takes a hard bite to Mario's left leg. "Mama-mia!" he cries as he falls to the other side of the pipe.

"Mario!" Without a second thought, Luigi flings a fireball at the enemy plant. It scores a direct hit and it withers back down the pipe in spawned from. Luigi runs over to his brother, who has strangely changed back into his old colored clothes of red and blue. He holds a hand out to his brother, who is already standing back up himself. "You alright, bro?"

"I'm-a fine, actually." Mario tries sparking another fireball, but not even a smolder spawns from his gloves. "Aw man, there goes my fire though!"

Luigi grins and rests a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Hey, no problem. All we need is to find another flower thing, right?" He then shakily produces another fireball in his other hand. "Besides, I still got some fire left…"

Just then, a green shell comes racing down the tunnel toward them. It hits Luigi's legs hard, knocking him off-balance. This causes his clothes to turn back to its usual green and blue, and extinguishes the fireball he had in his hand.

Mario kicks away the pesky Koopa Troopa within the green shell, and then helps Luigi up, even though Luigi seems okay. "Okay, so when we do find those flowers, we'll have to avoid harmful hits."

"Noted. Let's just get back to the surface."

The two proceed through the tunnels, still able to bash through bricks and stomp enemies like nobody's business. Then they reach a pulley system of platforms over a large chasm. Mario leads his brother between them. Once on the other, they find a green pipe on its side. Mario goes over to use his 'pipe sense' again. He beams. "Good news: this one goes up!"

"Well then, let's get going! This lack of lighting isn't doing anything for my skin!"

The two enter through the pipe, with Mario going first. But as soon as they stick their whole bodies through the entrance, a strange suction force gives them enough of a push to make climbing up the smooth walls of the pipe practically easy. Within a minute, they are sticking their heads out through the other side of the pipe.

"Man, I wish the pipes back in Brooklyn were as buttery smooth as these" says Luigi.

"We'll have to ask them what their secret is," says Mario, "among other things."

The two get out of the green pipe, climb up a nearby mound, and spot a small camp of Koopas, similar to the one they encountered with the Goombas earlier, complete with their army flag.

Mario gestures to his brother. "How about you take a turn this time?"

Luigi smirks, "Why, thank you, bro." He leaps onto the flag pole, slides down the pipe, and jumps onto a Koopa Troopa. While he kicks around its shell at the other enemies, Mario stomps on a couple other Koopa Troopas Luigi missed.

Once the two finish relishing their second small victory, they both look to the distance. Not too far ahead, over a gorge filled with mushroom-shaped platforms, they spot a fortress.

"That must be the king's castle," says Luigi, "I wonder what he looks like?"

Mario just gives that determined look toward the fortress. He grunts and clenches his fists. "We're ready."

* * *

"So, princess, how about it?" Bowser stamps his foot from time to time. He looks down toward Princess Peach, who still appears flabbergasted. "You have your two 'specialists' surrender now, and I'll let them off easy. Sounds like a fair deal to me."

Peach still stares hazily into space, murmuring to herself.

"Well? What'll it be? I ain't got all day!"

"No…" she stifles softly.

Bowser bends down to her level, hands at the hip. "What was that?"

Peach snaps out of it. She gives one look at the Koopa King, frowns, and crosses her arms. "No," she says much more clearly. "They will come. They will raze everything your army, and push you back from all that ground you tried to take from us. You better be ready, because if you have trouble with just me, you're in for much worse with _him_!" She half-forces a gloating smile.

His eyebrows furrow, and small flames kindle at the back of his throat. He turns around, stomping extra hard as he heads back to the room's one entrance. Then he stops. He chuckles to himself at first, then a bit louder. He turns to Peach, grinning ear to ear. "Oh, _I'll_ be ready. In fact, when they reach the fort, I'll show them what they're _really_ up against." He jabs a finger toward Peach. "Just remember: _you_ brought this upon them; upon your kingdom! Now you'll sit here, and listen to the destruction of your remaining friends and footholds!" He walks out of the room and turns back to Princess Peach. A couple of Hammer Brothers raise the spiked drawbridge that acts as the door to the room. Peach looks away in pain as Bowser laughs until the drawbridge shuts her tight…and alone.


	15. One-Man Superstar (Part 2)

Mario and Luigi jump from giant mushroom cap to giant mushroom cap as they head across the gorge. They take down some Goombas and Koopa Troopas scattered about with simple stomps. Then they find a couple of yellow blocks, each with a Fire Flower inside.

"Hold it!" Luigi waves his hand to Mario just as he is about to crush his Fire Flower. "Maybe we should hold on to these until we reach the fort. We might not get as many chances to collect these before we face the Koopa King."

Mario pauses for a second. "You're-a right."

So the two continue on, delicately holding on to the Fire Flowers so as not to crush them. They still check other blocks, but only coins come out when they hit them. As they almost reach the other side of the gorge, a flock of Koopa Paratroopas spot them from high above.

"Hey, I think those are the two agents the Mushroom Kingdom sent to get the princess!" says one of them.

"I think you're right" says another.

"Let's get 'em!"

Mario and Luigi hear a whirring sound, like flapping wings. They look up and spot half a dozen Paratroopas diving toward them, fast. The two instinctively duck as the Paratroopas wiz a meter over them. But they circle around and try to hit them again. Mario jumps up, while Luigi jumps far to the side. The Paratroopas form a horizontal line as they arc down to hit the brothers. Mario jumps too high above their flight path, and even scores a direct hit on one of the middle ones. On the other hand, the Paratroopa on the right side of the line nearly clips Luigi as he's jumping out of the way. This forces him bend his body to narrowly avoid being hit, and he falls to a lower-level mushroom platform.

"V-formation, now!" says one of the ticked Paratroopas.

The Paratroopas dive once again, this time in a v-formation. The leading Paratroopa directs their flight path toward Luigi, who has only just sat up, still holding the Fire Flower in his right hand.

Mario can see the Paratroopas coming in fast toward his brother…really fast. _"I don't think I can make it to him in time!"_ He leaps toward his brother regardless. "Luigi!"

Luigi looks up to see the Paratroopas closing in just a few meters away from his head. "Yow!" He dips backward, holding up the Fire Flower as best a shield he can muster with both his hands, and braces for impact.

But in his panic, he squeezes the Fire Flower a little too tight, and like a tube of toothpaste. Instead of dissolving into Luigi, a fan of flames bursts out of the Fire Flower. It hoses down all five Paratroopas unsuspectingly caught in its radial blast. They shriek and try to fly away as best they can. Unfortunately, their wings become too charred to work properly, and they fall into the gorge below, screaming in despair.

Mario lands next to Luigi, both in shock at what just happened. They look down toward the Fire Flower in Luigi's hand, which is crumbles to dust.

"I…I just…killed…" Luigi's hands shake uncontrollably. Tears begin to weld in his eyes.

Mario stands there in shock for a second, and then turns his attention to his brother. "Hey, Weegee."

Luigi stares into the distance, muttering to himself.

Mario shakes Luigi's shoulder. "Weegee?"

Still no response.

Mario crouches directly in front of Luigi. "Hey, Luigi! Look at me!"

Luigi begins to focus and stops muttering for a moment.

"What you did back there was-a in self-defense. They were-a going to hurt you, maybe kill you too. Remember, this is-a war going on. There has-a never been a war with no casualties. All we can do is get up, and move on. If it helps, I will-a always be here to help you. But we cannot stay here. So can you be strong enough to move on?"

Luigi takes a while to wipe his tears. "Okay. I think I'm good now."

Mario smiles and helps his brother back to his feet. "Good. We're right in front of the fort. I'll take the lead, you cover my back, and we'll walk out of there okay."

"Okeydokey" Luigi weakly agrees, giving a half-smile.

The two of them reach the other side of the gorge at last, climb over a dirt mound, slide down the nearby enemy flagpole, and charge toward the Goombas guarding the gate.

* * *

Captain Toad paces back and forth in his dimly lit dungeon room. He stops for a moment to look at the other four Toads he has as his cell mates. One of them is slumped against a wall. Another is playing a sad tune on a harmonica. The remaining two are half-heartedly trying to flick pebbles at other small stones set up in a circle.

_"Ugh, we've got to get out of here!"_ Toad runs in place, looking frantically around the room. Other than a couple of torches and locked steel door, there is nothing but stone walls, stone ceilings, and stone floors. _"Aw, who am I kidding? There is no way out! Especially not with someone guarding the entrance!"_

* * *

The wooden gates open wide with a bang. The Goombas inside look to the entrance of their fort. Mario and Luigi literally jump in, stomping on each one of them as they head down the stone steps. Within a minute, only one Goomba groggily tries to stay conscious.

Mario turns to Luigi. "Feel a bit better?"

"Kind of, yeah" he shrugs.

Mario turns to the woozy Goomba. He then stands before it, leaning over so it can't look away. "Okay buddy. You mind telling where the Koopa King is? Or the princess?"

The Goomba half-smirks. "Why don't you hop, skip, and jump that way and find out?"

The brothers look ahead where the Goomba is gesturing. Down a long narrow hallway, lava pits and intermittently placed between groups of rotating lava bars. "Well," sweatdrops Luigi, "that much is expected of the Koopa King."

Mario takes in the view of his new obstacle course, and then jogs toward it. "What have we got to lose?" He now squeezes the Fire Flower still in his hand, turning his clothes into the fire pattern. Mario leaps over the lava pits and the first fire bar.

Luigi hesitantly looks and waits before he leaps. "Wait up!"

But Mario continues on past more lava pits and lava bars, jumping and ducking while hardly slowing down. "Oh, sorry bro!" he shouts behind him, "I'm-a kind of have a rhythm going, so it'll take a bit before I slow down."

Just then, a huge fireball with a flaming tail hurls toward him. "Mama-mia!" he gasps as he quickly ducks into a shallow pit. A deep laughter echoes not far down the hallway.

"What happened?" cries Luigi, a bit further back.

Mario takes a second to take his cap off to wipe some sweat off his forehead. "I think I found him!" Mario shouts back. Then he leaps back up and heads a little further down the hallway. That is when he comes face to face with him.

In the large, rectangular room stands the Koopa King, with his yellow scales, sharp claws and teeth, and fire engine red hair. The two of them stand on a steel plank a little wider than the Koopa King.

"Hahahaha!" laughs the Koopa King, "So _this_ is one of the _special_ agents sent by the Mushroom traitors? _Ha!_ You look fitter to be cleaning the sewers!" A light flame flickers in the back of his throat.

Mario smirks. "Oh yeah?" He sparks a fireball in his right hand. "I've-a got extra fire power, and if you're-a only twice as good as your soldiers, it won't be enough!" He flings the fireball toward the Koopa King.

The Koopa King grins, and then belches a much larger, long-tailed fireball in Mario's direction. The smaller fireball bounces right into the larger fireball, getting absorbed and hardly slowing it down. Mario grows wide-eyed as the fireball hurls straight toward him, making a direct hit.

"Ha! You call that fire power?" he scoffs, "You'll have to do better than that to beat the Koopa King!"

But to his surprise, Mario still stands before him, unmoved. His arms braced in front of his head, and his clothes return to their original colors. Mario is taken aback a bit surprised and relieved.

The Koopa King clenches his fists and crouches low. "A bit flame-resistant, eh? Then how are you at taking on an extra few tons of awesome!" He leaps into the air, aiming directly were Mario still stands below.

Mario snaps right back into action. He runs straight out of the way. While the Koopa King makes the steel plank tremble a bit, Mario quickly eyes a switch just before a steel door. Without a second thought, he continues speeding toward the switch and jumps onto it.

The Koopa King turns around and spots Mario jumping onto the switch. "No! That's a last resort!"

Too late. Mario stomps down on the switch. Gears whir within the stone floor directly beneath the switch. An axe comes swinging sideways out of the floor, and slices the plank clean. A chain of explosives detonate across the plank. The Koopa King waves his arms and legs in a panic, but falls into the lava below before he can get out in time.

Mario wipes his hands together. "Well, that seemed too easy!" He turns to the door, which begins clicking into an unlocked position. "Now, let's-a see if the princess is-a alright."

* * *

Captain Toad and the four other Toads jump a little as the clicking of the dungeon door startles them. _"Oh no! What does the Koopa King want now?"_ Captain Toad settles down a bit. _"Wait, what if this is our rescue?"_

The clicking stops. The steel door slowly swings open with a few creaks. There in the doorway isn't the Koopa King. It isn't a Koopa Troopa. It isn't even a Goomba. Instead, a smiling human male, with blue overalls, white gloves, a red shirt and cap, and a mustache stands before them.

Captain Toad beams, hesitantly walking toward the man. The slightly short man's smile starts to fade away, but remains alert and content nonetheless. "Are you here to save us?"

A smaller smile spreads on his face. "Yes. I just took out the Koopa King out there for you. I'm-a Mario." He extends a hand out to Toad.

He and the other Toads jump up in delight, cheering. Toad takes Mario's hand and shakes it. "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou Mario! You have no idea how grateful we are! You must be the famed hero that was foretold!"

Mario sweatdrops and puts his other hand behind his head. "Aha, I don't know if I'd go that far. Anyway, I've-a been sent to look for your princess. I heard she was-a in a castle like this. Is-a she here?"

Toad frowns and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Mario. But our princess is in another castle."

Mario rubs his forehead, taking his cap off with the other. "Oh right! There were seven others. Darn it, I felt sure she was here. So if the Koopa King is guarding you, then who is guarding the princess?"

"Hey, bro?" Luigi shouts from outside the dungeon. "You might want to have a look at this."

Mario and the five Toads rush out of the dungeon and meet up with Luigi, who is standing over the edge of the huge lava pit the plank was placed over. Down below, the Koopa King floats on his back in the lava, smoldering and…with his head clean off?!

Everyone gasps as a pale Goomba hops helplessly on the belly of the Koopa King suit. "Please get me out of here!" it pleads, "I promise not to bite!"

"So all this time we had a mere Goomba guarding our cell?" exclaims Captain Toad.

Mario is taken aback, trying to get a grasp of the situation. "One down, seven more castles and potential Koopa Kings to go!"

"Mama-mia!" sighs Luigi.

* * *

Kamek flies before Bowser, who stands just outside his castle-like fort. "Are they all prepared?" the Koopa King asks.

"Indeed, Your Readiness," says Kamek. "All your selected soldiers have been given the proper instruction manuals to build their own deadly machinations in your likeness. The agents won't know who they face until it is too late!"

"Bwahaha! Great. Now, fly back to my permanent residence, and see to it that it is set for my return."

"Right away, sire!" Kamek flies off immediately.

Meanwhile, Princess Peach still stays crouched on the floor and facing away from the door to her dungeon. After much concentration and effort, she finally gets her clasped hands to glow a faint pink.


	16. One-Man Superstar (Part 3)

Mario jumps down to chuck the Goomba, who was disguised as the Koopa King, to safety. Then he catches up to Luigi and the five former captive Toads, who sneak out of the castle fort before any of the Koopa Troop catch them.

"So what was the Koopa Troop going to do with you guys?" Luigi asks Captain Toad, who is the only Toad among the five who's wearing a backpack.

Captain Toad shutters. "I…we, don't know. We can't even think of what horrible things that Koopa fiend might do!"

"Does said Koopa King have a name?"

Toad sweatdrops and swallows hard. "His name is Bowser." The other Toads shiver a bit. Toad leans in toward Luigi, and Mario as well once he catches up to them. "His name hasn't been shared publicly yet. So don't share this tidbit unless the officials say so."

The group remains quiet until they get outside. No Goomba or Koopa Troopa catches sight of them. The sun still shines in a morning position, though nobody notices. Mario, Luigi, and the Toads retreat behind some nearby bushes.

"Ah, I like these bushes" says one of the Toads, "they feel as fluffy as clouds."

Mario turns to Captain Toad. "So, how do you know this 'Bowser'?"

Captain Toad grows very pale, if that was even possible. "I…saw him…it's more personal than I would have liked."

"Okay, understandable. And you never knew that that 'False Bowser' was-a guarding you instead of the real king?"

"Yeah. He sounded real from outside our dungeon."

Mario thinks to himself for a moment. "So, there are-a seven more castles like this one. We have to rescue the princess…are-a there more imprisoned Toads?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I don't know precisely, but at least a dozen…no, _dozens_ of other Toads like me were captured."

Mario takes another moment to think. "Well, this sums up our quest in a nutshell."

One of the other four Toads steps forward. "Wait, what about our home, Toad Town? Our escape will most likely alert the Koopa Troop, and send forces to attack our capital again!" The other Toads nod nervously in agreement.

"You're-a right. How about one of you be the messenger to let us know if such an attack threatens…Toad Town, or the castle? My brother and I will be running between the castle forts, so whoever among you is-a really good at darting amongst enemy territory should be picked. So, which one of you will it be?"

All but Captain Toad take a large step backward, while the lone Toad just stands there petrified of the perils.

Mario smiles and points at Captain Toad. "Great! You seem to know enough about the enemy anyway. Hope you're-a as fast as you are brave!"

Toad gulps, as the other Toads roll their eyes or groan to themselves.

"What is your name by the way?"

He takes a couple of seconds to realize he was spoken to. "M-my name is Toad, sir."

The brothers look at each other. "Easy enough to remember," says Luigi as he turns back to Toad. "Just keep your backpack on or something. It's kind of hard to distinguish between you guys sometimes."

"…k…" Captain Toad walks behind the other Toads, who briskly walk in the direction of Toad Town.

"I think we should split up, Weegee. It will let us cover more ground."

"I think so, too, bro. Just be careful."

"Same to you." The brothers run off in different directions, with Mario heading toward the castle by a lake, while Luigi runs toward a different castle.

* * *

Princess Peach wanders around her cell, using the faint pink glow around her gloved hands to look at any finer details along the walls and floors. "Seems the Koopa Troop knows how to build a prison well. Not a single crack in these stone walls." She walks back to the center of the room. "I guess I'll have to make one." She closes her eyes. The faint glow around her hands begin to spread up her arms…

* * *

Mario is busy in the grassy planes jumping and dodging green-shelled Koopa Paratroopas.

"How does this guy jump higher than we fly?" exclaims one of the Paratroopas, as Mario jumps on each of the other Paratroopas.

"Maybe if you stopped hopping around like a chicken with your head cut off, maybe you'd actually fly better" Mario retorts.

"What the heck is a chicken, ack!" Mario jumps upon the Paratroopa, knocking it out.

Mario looks out toward the lakeshore close by. "Now, how am I going to get across this lake?" He glances over to a Warp Pipe conveniently nearby. "Perhaps this might take me somewhere…" He runs up and leaps into the pipe without a second thought.

As Mario slips down the pipe, his 'pipe sense' detects water near the other end, coming up fast. "Crud!" Mario stretches out his arms and legs and tries to stop sliding down with his hands and feet. But he barely even slows down before he reaches the flooded opening of the Warp Pipe on the other end. Mario takes a deep breath and holds it. With a light splash, Mario dives feet first into the lake.

Mario thought he'd have a hard time seeing anything underwater without goggles. But to his surprise, he can see as clearly as he was on dry land. Little seaweed patches, coral-like columns, and blocky rocks are strewn across the bright blue lakebed. _"Wow! The East River never looked this good!"_ He shakes his head. _"Can't stop now. Got to get to the other end of the lake, and get near the surface so I have breaks to breath."_

Mario propels himself diagonally forward and upward using his legs and occasionally some strokes with his arms and hands. Along the way, schools of red and white fish with big lips swim in the opposite direction. But as long as he gets out of their way, they pay little mind to the plumber. He makes it more than half-way across the lake, and yet never broke the surface for air. _"Huh, I must be getting better at holding my breath."_ He notices some coins strewn across the lakebed. _"I think I still got enough air to help myself a bit."_ Mario swims back down and reaches for the coins. But just like on land, these coins dissolve into his gloves as soon as he touches them. _"Oh well."_ Just a little further ahead, and he spots a Warp Pipe along the shores of the other side of the lake. _"Perfect! A quick escape, and still with air to spare!"_ Mario glides toward the pipe, and slips through to the surface.

Meanwhile, a white squid creature spots the plumber entering the pipe. It darts toward an idle school of those fish. He exclaims to them, "Hey, Cheep Cheeps! I think I spotted that agent who's been trying to sabotage the Koopa Troop…"

Mario jumps out of the Warp Pipe, and onto a small island in the middle of the lake. He takes a moment to look down at his clothes, which are still pretty wet. "Hm, not bad, and I can feel my clothes slowly drying. Good!" He walks toward a bridge, which leads to the other side of the lake, and the second castle fort. "Wow, this part feels easier than the first section!"

Suddenly, Cheep Cheep after Cheep Cheep come leaping out of the lake. At first, they either clear the bridge, or they flop a bit before dropping back into the water. But the school quickly reaches where Mario stands. "Mama-mia!" Mario books it across the bridge. Cheep Cheeps fly every which way like a storm of flies. Water splashes almost up to the bridge. Panting, Mario lunges toward the castle fort, darts into the front entrance, and slams the door behind him.

"Made it!" he pants. Then he notices some Koopa Troopas staring at him from the bottom of the entrance steps. "Pardon my hasty entrance, fellas. It was-a raining fish out there!" A brief bout occurs, but Mario makes quick work of the Koopas with a few simple stomps and kicks.

He confidently steps on through the castle, when he comes across a large lava pit. Fortunately, some blocks float above the pit. "Alright," he exclaims as he jumps onto the first set of blocks, "nothing a little precision jumping can't fix…" just as he reaches the climax of his leap, a fiery ball with two dotted eyes jumps out from the lava. Mario flips out, but just manages to stay out of the way of its range. As Mario lands safely on the blocks, a few more fireballs with eyes jumps straight up and down from various spots across the lava. "Oh great! I think I prefer those fish again!" He continues his jumping strides, quicker but careful. Only when he gets to the other side of the lava pit does he stop briefly to catch his breath.

Without another word, Mario runs further into the fort. He jumps through a longer hall of Firebars, across a deep pit with lifts, and by a small coin bin. Then as he avoids a couple of lava puddles, a fireball flies from the direction he's heading. Mario ducks into a stone trench, wiping some sweat from his face. Once ready, he runs into the open room.

There before him stands another Bowser, in a near identical room as the previous False Bowser was fought in. "So you fared well against my Podoboos, huh?" the Koopa scoffs.

Mario gets into a battle stance. "I'll admit. They were-a more difficult than your fireballs!"

The Koopa King crouches down and blasts another fireball. This time, Mario is ready. He jumps over the fireball, and runs up close to the Koopa King. The tyrant tries throwing punches at the plumber, but Mario simply sways his body out of the way. The Koopa King tries to trust his whole weight straight at Mario's head, legs first. With a glint in his eyes, Mario slides between the floor and the clumsy flying Koopa King. Then he makes a dash to the switch placed right before a steel door, just as before. One button press later, and the steel bridge collapses.

The Koopa King has barely even stood when he falls once again, now in the lava pit. Mario looks down at the lifeless body of the king floating in the lava pit. Then, a small door opens on the belly of the False Bowser, and a Koopa Troopa stumbles out. "I was sure my king could move like that" it grumbles. Then he looks up to the plumber, frowns, and raises his arms over his head. "Alright, I surrender. Now could you please help me out? I'd prefer not to be a Dry Bones just yet." Mario sighs and helps the Koopa escape with a couple of jumps.

While the Koopa Troopa walks away, Mario turns to the steel door. He goes to open it. About half a dozen Toads look up to him.

"I'm-a here to free you guys. We'll sneak out the back and you can make your way back to your town from there." Mario takes another look-around. "The princess isn't here with you either?"

One of the Toads shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Mario. But our princess is in another castle."

* * *

Luigi encounters a couple of Hammer Bros jumping back and forth between different floating brick blocks. They throw hammer after hammer toward the green plumber.

"Do you guys _ever_ run out of hammers?" Luigi exclaims.

The Hammer Bros just laugh and continue throwing their barrage of hammers. Fed up, Luigi carefully makes his way under a set of blocks one of the Hammer Bros is standing on. With one strong punch from beneath the block, the Hammer Bros loses his balance and falls to the ground, dazed. The other Hammer Bro jumps onto solid ground, readying another hammer to throw. But Luigi jumps onto its head before it even gets to pull it out.

Luigi wipes his hands together, and then eyes a spring. "Huh, what's this doing here?" Luigi carefully climbs onto the spring, testing its springiness. Next, he tries some light jumps in place, and the spring gives his jumps some extra height. "Kind of like a trampoline!" Feeling extra giddy, he tries one large jump. The spring sends up way higher than he was expecting. Waving his arms, he tries to grab hold of anything. He falls helplessly back down, and lands feet first on a Goomba. As the Goomba cries out in pain, Luigi rebounds into a brick block before landing on solid ground.

To his surprise, a vine sprouts from the block, growing higher and higher until it reaches the clouds. But then his attention goes back to the stomped Goomba, who is surrounded by some of his compatriots. One of them turns to Luigi, "You gone and done it this time! He's out but good, mad man!" The Goombas charge toward Luigi. Striken with grief and panic, Luigi jumps up to the vine and climbs it.

"Not again, not again," he endlessly moans as he mindlessly climbs the vine. He keeps on climbing until he can climb no more. He keeps his eyes shut and hugs the vine close. "That was careless! I got to be more careful, and not be such a klutz! Or else…" a gust of wind ruffles his hair and nearly knocks off his cap, had he not instinctively reached up to hold it in place. But this snaps him out of it and he opens his eyes.

"Woah!" he peeps as he realizes he had climbed so high that he and the vine stick above the clouds. Coins stick out of the clouds in great quantity, but that is the least of his concern at the moment. "Great. Just great. Now I've got to climb all the way back down." Just as he makes his first few careful steps back down the vine, his foot touches a cloud. To his even greater surprise, it feels pretty solid. "No way…" He carefully puts his whole foot down on the cloud while still holding onto the vine. It still stays on top. Then he tries the other foot. It, too, stays firmly on the cloud. With a deep breath, he lets go of the vine. He doesn't drop through. He sighs, "Thank goodness!" He then walks across the overstretched cloud. Nothing but coins and clouds as far as the eye can see. "Wait until Mario finds out about this!" For a while, he just walks across the cloud, admiring the scene. He kicks up coins along his walk, but they shrink into nothingness upon contact.

Then Luigi reaches the edge of the cloud. He leans over and looks down below. He spots the castle fort he was heading toward. "Wow, this turned out to be a great shortcut, too! Now, how am I going to get down…" A strong gust of wind nudges him from behind. As much as he tries to rebalance himself, Luigi falls over the edge of the cloud. His arms flail again. To his marvelous luck, he grabs onto the legs of a passing Koopa Paratroopa. The surprised Paratroopa flaps his wings as hard as he can to counteract the sudden extra weight, until his wings break off from the strain. Fortunately, they both were mere feet from the ground when they both land on their backs.

Luigi gets up first, and stands before the entrance to the castle fort. He walks in, and immediately notices Firebars and Podoboos suspended over skinny but deep lava pits right near the entrance. "Great, more fire. Just what I always wanted!" He takes a deep breath and carefully jumps across each Podoboo path and Fireball swing carefully. As he goes further into the fort, he navigates around the dispersed Podoboos and Fireballs.

Finally, he reaches a room similar to the one Mario faced False Bowser in, complete with the switch in front of the steel door, and a Koopa King standing between him and said switch.

The Koopa King scoffs. "Ha! So this is the annoying agent sent to rescue the princess? You hardly look the part! You're beneath me!"

Luigi crouches down, scowling. "You know, I get called that a lot from bullies like you. You're no different!" He makes one giant leap, right over the flabbergasted Koopa King, and onto the switch.

"How did you…" But the bridge collapses beneath him, sending him straight into the lava pit. After about a minute, a black-shelled creature with a tiny head crawls out of the False Bowser.

Luigi smirks, "Serves you right…" But then he thinks back on the Paratroopas and the Goomba he put to great harm. He jumps down to rescue the Buzzy Beetle. He kicks away the creature in frustration, and then gets the steel door unlocked. Over a dozen Toads stay huddled in a corner of the room. "It's alright, guys. You'll be safe now. By chance, is the princess with you?" The Toads come toward their dungeon entrance, and one of them responds, "Sorry, but our princess in is another castle."

Luigi leads the Toads out the back of the castle fort. "I hope Mario is having better luck than me…" He says to himself.

* * *

Mario runs across the grassy plains, while a Lakitu throws Spiny Eggs at him from above. The eggs uncurl into grown Spinies.

"Stomp on these, you Mushroom sympathizer!" the Lakitu jeers.

Mario just keeps running as fast as he can while keeping his arms crossed over his ducked head. He tries to focus his 'pipe sense' underground. Finally, he sense a warp pipe just ahead which will lead him to an underground tunnel. "About time!" He leaps into the Warp Pipe, just as the Spinies surround him.

* * *

Princess Peach continues to concentrate in her cell. The pink glow extends even further across her mid-section and down her dress. "Steady…" she breathes.

* * *

Mario escapes from the underground tunnel. Then he leaps across another section of Mushroom Gorge to reach the castle fort he was heading for. He walks in with no enemies to welcome him. Continuing on, he walks ahead and takes the lower route at a forked hallway pass. A little further ahead, he comes across a Piranha Plant, snapping its jaws at the plumber. He simply laughs this off and walks around the pipe. "Alright, 'Koopa King', what's your catch this time?" But after weaving around a Firebar, he finds himself at another forked hallway he was at before. "Ah, a deeper fort I see…" He continues on, weaving around a Piranha Plant and a Firebar. But then he comes across yet another forked hallway. "No, this can't be the same…" He takes the same lower route again, and once again comes across the Piranha Plant, the Firebar, and the forked hallway in cued order. "Dang it, it is!" He leaps up to the higher route this time. To his relief, he comes across narrow gaps in the floor where he was expecting the Piranha Plant. "Okay, done with that" he exclaims as he sprints across the holey stone floor.

After avoiding another Firebar, he comes across a three-way path. "Oh no, please not this again!" He tries the left path. But he ends up right where he started. "How do they do that?" he vents, before trying the middle path. But once again he ends up back at the three-way. Now sprinting in frustration, he takes the lower path.

After a while of encountering nothing, a flaming ball flies at him. He dodges it, "Finally!" He runs into the familiar large room. "Okay, Koopa King, how did you…" He stops, caught off guard.

The Koopa King does still stand before him, but he looks…off. He had gray scales, yellow hair, a green underbelly, and a lack of horns. "So we finally meet!" he grins.

Mario clenches his fists, but still looks perplexed. "So this is-a the real you?"

"Of course! You dare doubt the great and mighty Koopa King?"

"So you don't have horns?"

"What? Of course I have…" he rubs his head with his hand and gasps when he smoothly runs his hand across the top. "I…I got them...removed! But that doesn't mean I'm any less sharp!" He lunges as the plumber, baring his teeth and claws. But Mario jumps over the charging Koopa King and hits the switch. With a roar, the Koopa King falls off the bridge and into the lava pit. As Mario expected, it was a False Bowser he was fighting, controlled by a Spiny this time.

After saving the Spiny from the lava, Mario goes to free the Toads from their dungeon. "The princess?" Mario asks one of the Toads at they walk out.

"Sorry, but our princess is in another castle" he replies.

* * *

Luigi continues through the plains, and spots another castle fort far into the distance. "Perhaps third time will be the charm…" Just then, a bullet-shaped missile with eyes and hands comes flying straight at him. Luigi jumps over it. Then another Bullet Bill comes flying at him. Luigi jumps a bit early and lands on the missile creature itself. Fortunately, his stomp sends its trajectory toward a group of Goombas, blasting them away. He spots another Bullet Bill coming.

"This might be a good time for another power-up." Luigi looks around, avoiding as much conflict with the Goombas, Koopas, and Bullet Bills as he can. Then he spots a yellow block floating in the air. "Hope this has that 'Fire Flower' like before." But when he strikes it, a jumpy five-pointed star comes out. "Alright, what's this thing now?" Luigi goes after the jumpy star, when an incoming Bullet Bill closes in. "Shoot, no!" Luigi lunges and just touches the star as the Bullet Bill makes impact.

An explosion follows. The Goombas, Koopas, and Hammer Bros come by to witness what they hit. But when the dust settles, Luigi still stands there, unharmed. The plumber looks down at himself, and notices how his body sparkles in a white light. "I feel…" he grins, "…powerful!" Luigi makes a sudden sprint, kicking lots of dirt up and into a bunch of the Koopa Troop nearby. He leaps and runs further than he ever could before. "This must be the rush Mario has been talking about feeling!" He bounds with glee as every enemy that tries to touch him rebound and go flying. Even Bullet Bills explode on impact, and there isn't even a scratch on his person to show for it.

Luigi begins to close in on the entrance of the castle fort. Suddenly, his momentum slows, and the sparkling gleam dims. Luigi stumbles forward and skids to a halt in front of the castle, knocking away the Spinies in front of the castle fort. He lifts his head up and groans, "I guess this star power is only a temporary rush."

Luigi brushes the dirt from his clothes and enters the castle. Once again, Fireballs, Podoboos, and lava pits litter the hallways. He continues on until he makes it to the familiar large room. "Alright, Koopa King, I'm ready to…" he stops, grins, and bites his lip.

While this Koopa King does have the posture, large shell, horns, and claws, his body and head look more like an alligator.

"Hahaha! You stand no chance now, plumber man!" The Koopa King sneers.

Luigi can hardly cover his mouth to stop laughing. "W-w-what are _you_ supposed to be?"

"I'm King Koopa!" He flexes his muscles. "You'll wish you'd thrown in the towel once I'm finished with you!"

Luigi bursts out laughing, shedding a tear. "Alright, alright! Let's fight and see what you got!"

The Koopa King charges toward him first, but Luigi jumps back out of the way. "Put up your dukes! There can only be one green ringmaster in town!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Luigi leaps over the Koopa King, knocking his taped crown over crooked.

"Why you…" The Koopa King lunges at the plumber again. He jumps over him once again, but the tyrant keeps running across the bridge…and toward the switch!

"Hey! I thought we were going to fight the fair fight!" Luigi begins running after the switch.

The Koopa King swerves around as he stands right before the switch. "Like the saying my grandfather told me: cheat, beat, and be merry!" He activates the switch with his foot.

As the steel bridge collapses, Luigi makes one long leap toward the Koopa King. He barely gets a hold of the stone ledge, preventing a nasty fall into the lava pit.

"Hahaha! Looks like you are at the edge of defeat! I think I'll make minced meat out of you with this lovely 'grill' we got down there!"

"You're sick!" he gasps, "You say you're a king, but all you've done is pick on the helpless and eliminate your threats."

"It's a dirty job, but somebody gets to do it!"

As the Koopa King relishes his near victory, Luigi gets an idea. "Alright, you win. Toss me into the fire. Heck, make me into your midnight snack. But at least it beats getting poisoned."

The Koopa King stops laughing. "What was that?"

Luigi dramatically moans, "Oh, what an utter nightmare it would be if I were fed something laced with poison! How I am relieved to hear you will end my life with a lighter sentence!"

"That's a cruel, rotten, disgusting idea…I love it!" The Koopa King bends over and grabs hold of one of Luigi's arms tightly. "I'll take you over to the prison, and I can feed you some special Poison Mushrooms I know of!"

The plumber grins. With a mighty tug, he leaps and twists his body until he quickly wraps his arms and legs around the tyrant's arms. The sudden extra weight sends the Koopa King and himself falling over the ledge and into the lava pit. Fortunately, the Koopa King lands shell first, with Luigi standing triumphantly on top.

"Now who's the main green man!" Luigi exclaims. Then a series of loud bangs reverberate along the False Bowser's belly. Luigi jumps back to the ledge by the steel door, just as a Lakitu flies out of the chest on his cloud and down the hall.

Luigi shrugs, and then opens the dungeon door. A few Toads were leaning against the steel door, and now tumble into one pile. "Oh good, you're safe. Is this everyone, and is the princess with you?"

A Toad with a raspy voice answers, "Sorry mister, but our princess is in another castle."

* * *

Princess Peach calmly meditates as her whole body is aglow with a faint pink aura. The two torches left in the dungeon room flicker and almost fizzle out.

* * *

Mario zigzags across the grassy plains toward the next castle, jumping on all sorts of Koopa Troop members and hitting many floating blocks along the way. As he gets close to the fort, he collects his third Fire Flower, with the other two carefully latched to his belt loops. "Better save them for the fight with the Koopa King."

He runs into the castle fort entrance, jumps across Firebar gauntlets, and reaches the familiar room with a proper looking Koopa King ready for battle. This one looks a bit poutier, and holds a hammer in each hand.

"Hmph! You don't look like a special agent to me" the tyrant says flatly, "What agent would wear that sort of getup?"

"Maybe the plumbing gear is-a in season this year" Mario replies, "A bit more comfortable than toting a bag full of spy gear."

"A spy with bright red and blue? Please! Your uniform is clad in brighter colors than a superhero. What sort of hero are you?"

"One that will take you down!" Mario grasps one of the Fire Flowers and turns into Fire Mario. He throws a couple of fire balls at the Koopa King. But the tyrant simply flings one of his hammers, timely targeted at both fireballs and extinguishing them.

"And what will you gain from helping what remains of the Mushroom Kingdom? Money? Fame? A princess in hand?"

He stops for a moment. "Well…I don't know…I sort of like the spirit of adventure, and…"

The Koopa King chucks his other hammer at the plumber. Mario just barely jumps out of the way and almost topples into the lava pit below. "You're quite the quipper. But when it comes down to the wire, you have no grasp on reality." The tyrant charges toward the plumber. "How will you survive in a land that you have no idea what is real or not?"

Mario steadies himself, shakes his head, and stands his ground. "By fighting fire with fire!" He snaps up another round of fireballs and tosses them at the Koopa King. The tyrant snarls and shakes his head in bewilderment, but keeps speeding toward him. Mario keeps up his fiery onslaught, throwing fireball after fireball. Finally, just as the Koopa King makes it centimeters away, he stops. The Koopa King clutches his head as he roars in pain. Slowly, his body burns away. Before the plumber flops a slightly charred Blooper.

Mario sighs and steps over the remains of the False Bowser. "Eh, I never was the sushi type anyway." He walks passed the switch. He looks back toward the Blooper, which has just inched off the steel bridge on the opposite side of the room. "Ah, why not?" He hits the switch and goes to unlock the steel door. He walks in and finds a single Toad in the room.

Mario heaves a great sigh as the Toad longingly waits for an answer. "Hi, I'm-a Mario. Let me guess, you're the only one here and the princess is in another castle?"

The Toad nods.

* * *

Luigi frantically jumps across the grassy plains as Hammer Bros and Bill Blasters fling projectiles in his general direction. Only when he leaps through a Warp Pipe does he get a brief reprieve. Unfortunately, the pipe plunges him into an underwater reservoir. Luigi gets a quick gulp of air before dipping into the water.

While he is relieved that the water is lukewarm, the wildlife is anything but. Within seconds, teams of Bloopers after him. Nothing seems to slow the Bloopers down, until he escapes back up a Warp Pipe.

But the chase isn't over yet. Barely catching his breath, Luigi gets chased by Cheep Cheep leaping out of the waters and onto the bridge that leads to the next castle fort. Luigi screams as he frantically gets to the main entrance and shuts the door behind him. As he hyperventilates, a group of Goombas and Koopa Troopas stand wide-eyed before Luigi.

"Don't you _dare_ even start with me!" bellows Luigi. The sight of a strangely dressed man with bulgy-eyes was enough to scare off the soldiers of the castle fort. The plumber takes a couple of minutes to catch his breath. "I don't think I can take another marathon like that again…even with the extra spring to my steps."

For poor Luigi, his trek to the Koopa King isn't over. He finds himself running around in circles on at least a couple of occasions before he reaches the final, lava pit room. The tyrant looks like the familiar Koopa King, except he wields a hammer in his right hand.

"Alright, Mr. 'Stache," starts the Koopa King, "You've made it this far, but you will…"

"No!" Luigi interjects, "I just ran through missile fire, hammer wielders, those Blooper things, raining Cheep Cheeps, and a maze straight out of some Penrose illusion! I'm fed up with your wild goose chases, so just tell me right now if you have the princess or not, you fake!"

"Hey! Prisoner identity is a private policy! So while I can't give you names, why don't you take these instead!" The Koopa King throws his hammer at the plumber in an arc, and immediately spawns another hammer in his other hand. Luigi sidesteps and bounds away from each hammer as the Koopa King throws one after the other. "That's it, plumber. Dance. Dance!"

"That's it!" barks Luigi. He rushes recklessly toward the Koopa King. Caught offguard, the Koopa King jumps instinctively out of his way. This allows the plumber to run straight to the switch and slam his feet onto it. The Koopa King falls into the lava pit, but a Hammer Bro leaps out of the head of the False Bowser before it lands in the lava.

While the Hammer Bro runs away, Luigi grumbles as he unlocks the door. Over a dozen Toads are crammed in this dungeon. The plumber in green sighs, "I know; the princess is in another castle. Come on, we're getting out of here." The Toads look at each other as they file out of the dungeon and into a secret back entrance. "Once this adventure is over, I'm ready to head for home" Luigi mutters to himself. "Now I just need to meet with Mario at the rendezvous point."

* * *

Bowser impatiently waits for a Koopa Paratroopa to enter his stone room. "Is the retaliation force ready?"

"On their way to Toad Town as we speak, sire!" squeaks the Paratroopa.

"Good! We got those 'agents' running around our encampment, our best chance will be a surprise attack while they're distracted. What do we know about those agents anyway?"

Paratroopa pulls a notepad out of its shell. "Let's see here…from our widespread reports from our other troops, we do know enough to get a good idea of what we're up against." It clears its throat. "Only two individuals have been identified as the agents. They seem to be human, like the princess. They wear strange clothes, with the closest description seeming to be a plumber's getup. One is short and wears red clothes, while the other is taller and wears green clothes. The red one seems to be the most decisive and difficult to combat. He also seems to be the leader between the two. However, the one in green is no slouch either, as he seems to be the most unpredictable and potentially the most dangerous. Both of them have very similar abilities, with the most prevalent powers being super jumping, super strength, and unaided enhanced endurance. One more thing…they can manipulate power-ups…"

Bowser's eyebrow twitches as he grumbles to himself. "Not fair! It takes _years_ of training and gifted abilities to do that!"

"…and they appear to be able to collect coins in a pocket dimension, like you can. So…"

"No!" The Koopa King roars, "I refuse to believe that there are any other Star Children besides me and the princess! There has never been any indication that there would be other 'players' in the decades-long battle between Toads and Koopas!"

The Paratroopa whimpers, "Of c-course not, sire! These are merely eye-witness supports. I'm sure you can be the best judge of these 'plumbers', should you see them yourself."

Bowser begins to walk out of the room in a huff. "I'm sure I will. If that red one is as determined as described, he will no doubt discover this fort soon enough…"

* * *

Mario and Luigi meet up in behind a lone tree among the grassy plains.

"You haven't seen the princess at any of your castles yet, did you?" Mario asks.

"I'm sorry, Mario, but the princess is most likely at the last castle" Luigi replies sarcastically.

Mario half-heartedly laughs. "Yeah, seems like we've-a been played for chumps. I just hope we didn't take too long until…"

Suddenly, Captain Toad comes frantically running toward them. "Mario! Luigi! Emergency!"

"Oh no, is the capital in danger again?" says Luigi.

Captain Toad stops in front of them to catch his breath. "Yes! The Koopa Troop is at it again, and their not taking prisoners this time!"

"Then lead the way!" says Mario. "The princess we'll have to wait just a bit longer..."

* * *

Princess Peach's pink aura begins to glow brighter and brighter. Finally, she opens her eyes. "Okay, I'm ready to escape!"

* * *

**Author's Note: Some clean-up is in order, so this one took a bit longer. Also, I will be changing the name a bit to this series. So far, I'm thinking of changing it to "Super Mario Adventuria", since 'Adventure' is what the mini comic series from Nintendo Power was called. The next chapter will conclude the Super Mario Bros game!...or is there something more? ;)**


	17. One-Man Superstar (Part 4)

Toad Town is in complete disarray. Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Hammer Brothers, Lakitus, and Spinies chase after the Toads. By the infirmary, General Toad and a few other Toads try to defend the other patients and doctors. He bites his lip as he fights both the enemies and the pains of his aching body. As soon as a moment's respite, he takes a knee, leans on his spear, and pukes.

Toadsworth runs up to him from Peach's Castle. "Oh dear me, my boy! Look at yourself! You barely have a leg to stand on!"

General Toad winces, "Neither does your worries, old friend." He stands back up. "I am touched by your caution, but since our kingdom is on the cusp of collapse…" Some Koopas run toward him. "…all hesitation and hiding will take a far bigger toll than our individual needs."

While the general continues to fight with his troops, Toadsworth retreats back to Peach's Castle. Unfortunately, a couple of Lakitus spot him and get in his way. "Oh my!" He doubles back, darting between a few battered buildings. As he reaches the border of Toad Town, he gets surrounded again by the Koopa Troop, along with other pockets of rebel Toads. His face changes from shocked, to tear-welling, to slumped. He closes his eyes and bows his head in admitted defeat.

A Hammer Bro brandishes his hammer. "Sorry, gramps, but our king isn't interested in re-kidnapping!" He raises his hammer…

Suddenly, outcries of pain come from the Koopa Troop members nearby. The Hammer Bro turns his head around, then looks up…just in time to see Mario and Luigi each get a dropkick smacked squarely in his face. Everyone stops what they're doing to assess the new arrivals. Toads rejoice. Goombas cringe. The brothers stand triumphantly before their returning battleground.

"Oh, wonderful!" Toadsworth cries, "The heroes of the stars have returned!"

After that, things turned around for the Toads. That triumphant entrance proved a helpful distraction for Toads to use to strike back hard and out of their snared corners. General Toad gets more Toads to rally and coalesce into a manageable attack unit. Toadsworth uses his cane to keep Goombas a safe distance from his personal space. Mario and Luigi pick out stronger soldiers whenever a group of them seem to overwhelm the Toads. Meanwhile, Captain Toad sneaks behind buildings and thrusts his spear at any enemies with a keen eye for hiders.

Mario turns to Luigi as the Koopa Troop is the one who scatters away this time. "Well, seems like the state of calm is-a returning to…"

Suddenly, a dark bolt streaks across the sky. Before anyone realizes what to make of it, the bolt flashes down and hits a random Toad. To everyone's horror, the Toad turns to stone. A few seconds later, another dark bolt strikes from the sky, hitting another Toad. By now, all the Toads run about, with dark bolts periodically striking Toad Town every few seconds.

The brothers take cover under one of the last-standing Toad Houses, along with Captain Toad. "This freak storm is ruining everything!" Luigi cries.

Toad shivers uncontrollably. "No…not a storm…an attack…the Koopa King is at it again!"

"Again?!" the brothers scream.

* * *

Bowser laughs as he straightens his Blockra on the new pedestal he installed. Dark bolts fire up and out of the castle fort periodically. "Briefly forgot about my new magic weapon, didn't ya! What gullible chumps; I bet they never read the instruction manual for how to take control of a situation!" He steps back and admires personal accomplishment. "Come try and get me now, _heroes_! Bwahahahaha!"

Meanwhile, Princess Peach checks upon the walls of her dungeon. Her whole body still glows bright with a pink aura. Then she senses a tiny crack between the stones opposite the dungeon entrance. "Aha!" Her hands grow brighter. Concentrating, she surgically projects her pink aura into the crack. From the crevice, a force field grows, pressuring the stones to rupture from the wall. But with care and patience, Peach manages to make a decent sized hole in the stone wall without making too much noise. _"All right! With some luck, I can sneak out and reunite with my kingdom citizens! I can still turn this around!"_ She pulls her dress abover her knees before crouching to crawl through the hole.

* * *

After a few minutes of dark bolt barrages, all the Toads have either ducked for cover, or unfortunate to be turned to stone again. General Toad joins up with Mario, Luigi, and Captain Toad.

"I estimate about two-thirds of the Toads have taken cover," says the general, "but I have no idea how long this cover will last. Bowser used this staff that turned many of us to stone in a similar manner. We nearly lost the capital because of that staff, too!"

"Yikes, that sounds horrible, to be turned to stone!" Luigi grimaces.

General Toad shutters a bit. "You have no idea."

Mario takes a peak out of the Mushroom House window toward the edge of town. The Koopa Troop stand idle. "Hey, it looks like the enemies are-a staying away from their own bolts, too."

"Perhaps their king doesn't have as much control in the staff as they thought. Can't blame them."

His eyes furrow. "Then we must go. Come on, Luigi."

"Wait, what? Why? Are you crazy?" Luigi runs up to Mario. "Almost the whole Koopa Troop has us surrounded, just waiting until we're ripe for the pickings!"

"Exactly! And while _they_ wait for the moment to strike, _we_ can sneak out and rescue the princess! Perhaps even take away that staff, too!"

"That sounds too risky. What if the enemies attack Toad Town, or send out something worse, before we even complete either objective?"

Mario pauses. "Good point…"

General Toad ponders. "You know, that's a great idea for a strategy. But just for good measure, how about _you_ go out yourself, while Mr. Green stays here."

"It's Luigi" says the plumber in green. "And your name?"

He gives a stern look. "Toad."

Both brothers look over to Captain Toad. Luigi asks, "Are you his son or someone related?"

"Hell, no!" Both Toads retort simultaneously.

"Anyway," says Mario, "I guess your idea does sound a bit more reasonable. Though I've-a never completed a solo job like this all the way through before without my brother."

"Well, I don't care which one of you stays" says the general, "I just thought you'd be a better candidate since you seem more gung-ho about it."

"Well…"

Luigi puts a hand on Mario's shoulder. "He's right. Go on, bro, I can help take care of things here. And you've held up nicely against your fair share of strange enemies. I'm sure one more bull turtle dragon wouldn't be too much trouble. Just…be careful, bro."

He nods. "Alright. I'll try." He turns to General Toad, tipping his cap. "And I'll come back as quick as I can!"

General Toad gives a quick salute. "I'll ready my men for the attack…" He glances at Captain Toad. "_All_ my men."

Captain Toad gulps. But when Mario turns to him, he quickly rummages into his backpack. "I-I found this as I was running through Mushroom Plains. I'd like you to have it." He pulls out a green mushroom similar to the red ones. "It's too potent for anyone to use in normal circumstances. But when your mortal health is dire, it can really spring you back on your feet. It's really rare, though, so use it only when you have to…_if _you have to."

Mario pats Toad on the head while taking the 1-Up Mushroom. "Thank you, for all your help. I'll keep it in mind." Toad beams as Mario pockets the mushroom in his overalls.

Mario walks over to the door a peeks it open. The Koopa Troop still remains at their idle posts, but a space by the Goombas can be seen. He takes one more look back toward the two Toads and his brothers. Luigi gives him a thumbs up. Mario smiles and returns likewise. Then he slips through the doorway and secretly sprints out of Toad Town before any enemies spot him.

* * *

Princess Peach darts in the shadows of the hallways. Her heart races as she narrowly avoids the eyes of the patrolling Goombas, Koopas, and Hammer Bros. Finally, she peeks out a window, jumps out, and gently floats down using her aura.

With a smile on her face, she races for the bushes. "I did it! I'm free!" She catches a quick break behind a tree many paces away. "I can still turn the tables for my kingdom. The heroes have probably kept things at bay…" She gasps. "Oh my gosh, those heroes! They are probably still on their way to rescue me…"

* * *

Mario meets extra resistance as he races across the Mushroom Plains. Goombas, Koopas, Piranha Plants, and Buzzy Beetles try their best to impede his dash to the last castle. _"I got to rescue the princess. This strange feeling…like she'll be able to fix all this. Although at this rate…"_ At that moment, Mario jumps up to hit a yellow block. A Starman bounces out. _"Ah, _this_ will do!"_ Mario grasps the Starman, and gets enveloped in a bright light. Now he blazes across the plains, bashing all his enemies off his path to the princess.

* * *

Peach ponders by the tree. "Neither hero has made it into the castle yet, else it would've been much more difficult for me to escape. So perhaps if I intercept them between here and Toad Town…"

Just then she hears a crack like lightning. She looks back to the castle fort. Periodically, streaks of dark light fire upward into the sky. Her eyes barely follow the streaks ricochet from cloud to cloud, until finally striking back down…in the vicinity of her castle.

Her eyes widen. "No. No, no, no, no! Not again!" She slightly hyperventilates and has her hands cover her mouth. She calms back down as her mind races faster and faster. Finally, she looks down to her body, which is still fully aglow, then toward Bowser's castle fort. "Time to stop this stone-petrifying staff…for good!" She sneaks back into the castle fort.

* * *

The effects of the Starman wear off as Mario approaches the castle fort. But there is a long outer wall between him and the main fort. "Well, better get searching for a break, the old fashion way!"

Mario runs and jumps along the walled perimeter, stomping Koopa Troopas, Koopa Paratroopas, and Hammer Bros. A Hammer Bro directs some Koopas by the Bill Blasters on the walls. "Shoot him! **Shoot him!** He must not make it inside!" he bellows. But Mario dodges the oncoming fire of Bullet Bills.

Then a Koopa runs out from the inner fort toward the Hammer Bro. "Commander, the princess is discovered loose in the castle! Have you by chance seen her? I don't want to tell King Bowser…"

"What?! **Now?**" A forehead vein throbs on the Hammer Bro as he shifts his attention rapidly between the babbling Koopa and the plumber, who has just spotted a flagpole by the wall. "Oh for crying out loud!" He runs along the wall after the plumber, lobbing hammers at him. Mario jumps over a Piranha Plant in a pipe, then bares down on a grounded Hammer Bro. The pursuing Hammer Bro jumps off the wall and slides down the flag pole. "If they can't do something right, you got to do it yourself!"

Mario footstool jumps off the grounded Hammer Bro to make the leap straight to the other one. "Hey! I do flag pole sliding just fine, _thank you very much_!" He kicks the Hammer Bro in the head, knocking him out cold. Then Mario climbs the flagpole, with difficulty, to help scale the wall. From up close, this castle fort looks much bigger than any previous one the brothers had invaded. Streaks of dark light shoot from its center. Mario gulps, but remains firm. "This is it. All come to this…and no going back empty-handed!"

* * *

Bowser follows a Goomba to the prison cell for the princess. "What do you _mean_ the princess is gone?" he rumbles.

The Goomba yelps, "I-I mean, she is still somewhere! Just…not…where she belongs..."

Bowser presses a secret safety switch, dropping down the spiked drawbridge door. The two take a peek inside. It is as empty and silent as a tomb. For a while, the Koopa King says nothing. Then he growls and turns ferociously to the cowering Goomba. "Do you know why we had her locked up in here?"

"B-because she is a threat to the Koopa cause?" gulps the Goomba.

"And do you know _why_ she is a _threat_?"

"…she has a secret power, s-sir?"

Bowser grips the Goomba by the head with just one hand as he stomps back to the chamber with the Blockra staff. He tosses the Goomba toward the Blockra's pedestal. "See this? _This_ is why the princess is so dangerous! She is a Star Child, like me, which means she is gifted with special powers. On top of that, she has a unique ability to cure or inflict buffs. The Blockra's ability to turn living beings to stone. That is a buff she can erase." He leans in real close to the Goomba's face. His voice gets louder with each smoldering breath. "Now, imagine what would happen if she came waltzing into this room and took the Blockra. Her powers could very well _eliminate_ this weapon all-together. Now…imagine getting your feet into high gear and go look for her!"

The Goomba makes a break for a hallway. Bowser roars in his direction. "I want to see the princess in **five** **minutes**, or else!"

"How about right **now**?" says a voice behind him.

Bowser turns, but a high-heeled kick is delivered to his face. He stumbles back a bit, as Princess Peach herself stands before him. She is aglow in her pink aura, with a content smile on her face. But her smile fades as she turns and makes a run toward the Blockra.

"Noooo!" the Koopa King screams as he stomps after her.

Peach grabs hold of the Blockra. Her hands glow extra bright as she clenches her teeth. "This dark magic…must…**stop**!" A blast of pink energy bursts from her hands. Bowser flinches just inches from her. The Blockra shutters violently before breaking apart. Princess Peach wobbles a bit, but breathes a sigh of relief.

"This…isn't over!" Bowser grabs her left arm.

Stunned, her aura instinctively glows brighter and her hair waves as if winds gust around her. "Unhand me!" She swings her arm for a punch. But as she hits him in the shoulder area, a twinge of pain shoots through her right arm. As she reels back, her pink aura flickers in and out.

Bowser grins. "You see, princess, you are _almost_ like me. You are gifted with the powers of a Star Child, but we are also given _unique _talents. While you got your silly little status effects…" He beats his chest with his free hand. "_I_ got some incredible durability." He clenches his fingers tighter around Peach's right arm. Although her flickering aura helps resist the extra pressure, she still moans from the pain. "_And_ that makes me the strongest thing _alive_! Now, what to do with **you**, little pest…"

Just then, a Koopa Troopa runs into the room. "Lord Bowser! It's him! Their hero has breached the castle…oh, _there's_ the princess! Thank goodness…"

"Get back to your post then!" The Koopa King nearly boots the little Koopa as it ducks in its shell. "And tell all the other subordinates to take him down on sight!" With the princess still in hand, he storms back to the prison chamber. He roughly tosses her in. She rolls hard on the stone floor. Her pink aura completely fades out as she groans from the extra bruises. "**You stay here!** Until your 'knight in shining armor' is eliminated, you'll make a fine 'damsel' and compensation!" He slams the drawbridge back up, nearly flickering out the torchlights.

Peach clenches her fists as she bites back tears of frustration and aches in her sides. Her dress is dusty and torn, but she forces herself to sit up. "One threat down…one final threat to go…"

* * *

Mario runs through the corridors of the castle fort. He takes down Goombas, Buzzy Beetles, and Koopas which each successive stomp. Then he gets cornered between Piranha Plants in pipes on one side, and armed Hammer Bros on the other. "Time to light some fires!" He pulls out a Fire Flower, turning into Fire Mario when he squeezes it in his glove. He scorches the Piranha Plants and tussles with the hammer wielders.

After many loops through the castle, he finally goes through a pipe that leads him through the overtly flooded basement. Almost immediately, some Bloopers ambush the plumber. Without even thinking where he was, Mario snaps his fingers and releases a fireball. It propels through the water and repels all but one unlucky Blooper. The plumber blinks a few times. "How…never mind, I'll question it later."

He swims to the other side of the basement and escapes through a warp pipe back to the ground floor. Shortly ahead of him, he can feel extra heat radiating through the halls. "If the previous seven castles taught me anything, the battle room is that way." Sure enough a flame fires his way as he dashes toward the heat. "And where there's the battle room, the dungeon room will surely follow…and the princess…"

Mario makes it to the final room, but something was different. That is, besides the battle room itself. The room is circular instead of rectangular. Instead of a long steel plank, a circular arena is suspended in the center of the room over lava by horizontal chain ropes. The lava isn't stagnant; the flow forms a whirlpool down a large drain.

Of course, the Koopa King still stands before him, looking just like most of the previous False Bowsers. But this time is different. It _feels_ different. Mario's blood simmers like a half-baked grudge. His muscles tense from head to toe. His eyebrows furrow at the sight of the Koopa King's crossed arms and devilish smirk. As soon as he locks eyes with the Koopa King, every fiber in his body comes to the same conclusion. "**You!** You're-a the Koopa King!" A gate slams shut behind him, locking away the corridor he came from.

A toothy grin spreads across his face. "King Bowser: guilty as charged! And what about you, _hero_?"

"I'm-a here to rescue the princess and save the Mushroom Kingdom!" He falters for a split second. _"Wow, saying that out loud, I sound like I'm in a fairy tale."_

"You know, I heard stories from my troops…about a man who could punch through solid bricks, jump over flagpoles in a single bound, and spew fire from his hands as frequent as I breathe fire." Flames lick out the sides of his jaws as a stifled laugh quietly builds. "But what sort of _hero_ are you in a getup like **that**? You supposed to be a **plumber** or something?" His laughter can no longer be contained.

Mario clenches his fists as the Koopa King laughs it up. "Mock it up all you want! I've-a been scrutinized by bullies like you, and they at least didn't cower behind some phony goons!"

Bowser stops laughing. "Hmph! Something odd is up with you, and I didn't like you the moment you had stepped foot in here. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think the princess is good enough a nuisance to me." He straightens up, flames sparking in his jaws. "So give me the pleasure of an entertaining victory!"

Bowser shoots out a few flaming streaks in Mario's direction. The plumber leaps over each of them, though just barely.

"So the princess _is-a_ here!" Mario exclaims. "What the heck was-a your deal anyway, building those imposters?" He runs toward the Koopa King.

"Bwahaha! You kidding? Then you hardly know the meaning of war!" When the plumber leaps toward him, he simply swats him away with his right arm. "The Mushroom Kingdom has been at war for hundreds…_thousands_ of years. _That_ is a war of attrition!"

Continuing his arm stroke, he materializes a batch of hammers in his hand and flings them in an arc toward the plumber. Mario falls back to his feet from the swat. But then he darts around, frantically avoiding the raining hammers. Bowser runs toward the plumber when his hammers don't leave their mark. He leaps toward the plumber, who rolls out of the way.

The Koopa King runs toward Mario again. But this time, the plumber stands his ground. "Well, thanks to your fakes I got some extra practice fighting you!" He snaps some fireballs in his hands. "And I know you're-a vulnerable to fire!" He chucks his fireballs with gusto toward the Koopa King.

Bowser grumbles as the flames leave burn marks on his scaly skin. But he hardly slows down his running speed. He snorts flames from his nostrils. "You got some skills. If you were a Toad, I'd say you're pretty good." He swings a punch toward the plumber. Mario tries to jump out of the way again, but he is too late. The punch hits his gut and winds him. He sprawls onto the steel floor, lying on his back. His fire suit reverts back to his regular clothes. "But you are even _worse_ than a Toad!" He leaps up, casting a shadow on the plumber.

Mario rolls out of the way just in time. Bowser slams onto the arena hard. This causes the steel platform to seesaw back and forth, enough to knock Mario off his bearings. Bowser grins, and takes the opportunity to swipe at Mario with his Koopa claws while he's vulnerable. Mario yelps and flies toward the edge of the arena. He half-consciously grabs hold of the edge of the steel platform, stopping his tumble into the swirling lava below.

"Bwahahaha! I'll admit, you've given me more entertainment in a fight than the princess!" Bowser walks around the center of the arena, taking his sweet time to relish his early lead.

Mario struggles to pull himself back onto the platform. His clothes have three huge gashes slit across, his skin exposed and reddened. He tries to face his foe, but his vision is blurred. His muscles ache as if they will pop. "N-no…not…over…" He shuffles slowly, hold his right arm with his left hand. But his right hand fiddles with his pocket.

Bowser looks at him in slight bewilderment. "Hm?"

Then the plumber pulls out his 1-Up Mushroom.

Bowser's jaw drops. "Where did you…?!"

But the plumber crushes the mushroom in his right hand. Sparkles spread across his body. His wounds close up and his clothes reknit. His mind and body feel as refreshed as a good night's sleep. As he perks up, the gears in his head start turning. _"Right! What about the axe?"_ To his dismay, he can't immediately find any sort of chopping device by the spiked drawbridge door he suspects is the dungeon room. _"Wait…spiked door…"_

Bowser stamps his feet and runs toward the plumber again. "My patience is growing thin! And my amusement even less!" Bowser sends flaming streaks toward Mario as he approaches.

Mario leaps over the flaming streaks heading directly toward him. So Bowser tries to stomp on him again. This time, Mario runs underneath him, booking it straight to the dungeon door.

"You think I didn't expect that!" Bowser roars as he stomps after him. "You think I wouldn't know about the other seven times you 'faced me'?"

Mario leaps off the steel platform and onto a thin stone column. Directly in front of him is a lever for the drawbridge.

"Oh no you don't!" Bowser spews fire balls and flings hammers in Mario's direction. The plumber bobs, weaves, and jumps in what little room he has to maneuver around the attacks. To his relief, he dodges every one of them. But Bowser nears the edge of the circular platform, grinning. Mario looks back toward the lever, only to find it badly charred and smashed. "Bwahahahaha! No axe trap to save you now!"

Mario looks to the drawbridge door slightly to his left. One of the thrown hammers had got lodged in the spikes, sticking upward. _"It almost looks like…"_ There's a glint in his eye. _"…a last-minute opportunity!"_

Bowser comes to swipe at Mario again from the edge of the platform. At the same time, Mario leaps for the door. He jumps as high as he can muster, then tucks his feet in on the way down. "Here I go!" At the last second, he thrusts his feet onto the protruding hammer. With added leverage, the hammer forces the drawbridge open. Bowser flinches as the drawbridge slams down on the edge of the platform. One of the chain ropes connected on that side of the platform buckles, then snaps.

Bowser looks at Mario, standing triumphantly on the drawbridge. A growl rumbles at the back of his throat as his eyebrows furrow. "You!" Then more chains snap, sending the platform flipping over on Bowser's side. "I knew you were bad news!" He lets out a roar as he falls into the lava pit. The platform begins to crumble into chunks as the lava flow forces the Koopa King down toward the drain. "This isn't over! This isn't over!" But his thunderous roar gets muffled as the steel chunks bury him by the lava drain.

Mario takes a moment to catch his breath as the dust settles. "Whooo! What a rush!"

"Hello?" says a soft voice from the dungeon.

Mario perks up. "Oh my goodness, the princess!" He cautiously rushes in. Then he slows to a stop.

Standing before him was a very young, human woman. Although her long blond hair was rustled and her ankle long pink dress was mucked, he was still taken aback by the princess. "Are you…?"

She looks at him eye-to-eye, relief and amazement washed over her. "Yes, I'm Princess Peach. Thank you for coming for me!" She straigtens her dress and hair for a second. "What is your name?"

Mario blushes a bit, then slightly snaps out of it. "My name is Mario." The princess looks like she is about to say something, but then he continues, "Sorry, I just thought…all this time, I assumed the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom was more like a Toad."

Her face slackens. Then she sighs, "Typical. Not the first one think so, I'll give you that." She moves on ahead of Mario, who almost slaps himself for the comment he just made. In the battle arena, she looks down toward the lava pit, now as still as a lake with the drain plugged up by a pile of rubble. She smiles for a minute. Then she turns back in to the dungeon, toward the plugged up escape route. "If you mind, help me get these slabs out of here. We can escape through here."

Mario obliges without a single word. After a few strong punches, the plumber breaks the two out of the castle.

Peach jogs ahead. "We still should hurry. We must make sure my people are safe."

Mario smiles. "Alright. At least the worst is over!"

As the two run across the Mushroom Plains, a lingering thought still worries her. "Could he possibly…" but her thoughts trail back to the state of her castle and Toad Town. "…we must hurry."

* * *

Back in the battle arena, some Goombas and Koopas try to move away the rubble.

"Someone go get Kamek, quick!" A Koopa Troopa tells a Koopa Paratroopa, who immediately flies away.

"Lord Bowser!" cries a Goomba.

"Speak to us! Are you okay?" cries a Hammer Brother.

Suddenly, the rubble shakes. The soldiers back off nervously. Then an arm bursts out of the steel pile. "This…isn't…**over**!"

* * *

**Author's Note: To be continued…to the sequel!"**


	18. Kingdom Minus Hero (Part 1)

All the Toads pitch in to clean up Toad Town, which is nearly complete. Princess Peach helps direct the Toads to each section to separate the salvage from the rubble. Mario and Luigi also pitch in, doing most of the necessary demolition.

Mario stops to massage his knuckles near the platform the princess is perched on, while his brother uses his gloves to wipe the sweat from his brow. "E-excuse me, princess," Mario hesitates to even meet Peach's eyes. "Since we've-a broken up all the rubble, do you mind if we take a quick break?"

Peach gives him a split-second glare before sighing. "Very well. You've definitely been working hard all day, so take the time you need." Then she steps off the platform and heads toward the castle.

The brothers walk over to the center of town, where a makeshift fountain has been set up to release tap water from their underground reserves. After Luigi gets a canister of water for himself and his brother, he spots Mario looking toward Peach's Castle with a sad expression.

"Hey, bro," Luigi hands his brother one of the canisters. "Did something _happen_ between you and the princess?"

Mario goes stiff and blushes a tad, "W-w-what? Nothing! Everything went alright, just like I told you!"

"I mean, you don't seem to be on quite the right foot with her. You didn't hurt her while you were rescuing her, did you?"

"Not…exactly…" he takes a sip of his canister as he slumps. "I just…never meant to say what I said in a bad way…"

"Well, looks like your half-baked quips finally backfired." He half-joked, and then cleared his throat. "In all seriousness, it's probably best that you cut your speaking short before you accidentally insult, or provoke, someone."

Just then, General Toad and Toadsworth walk up to the brothers. "Thank you again for helping us out!" Toadsworth beams. "It means a lot to all of us that you had come at our greatest need. And Mario, my boy! Quite the noble knight you are for taking down the Koopa King and rescuing our fair princess. I'm sure she's given you as much praise as anyone."

Mario shrugs and half-heartedly laughs. "Yeah, she sure has."

General Toad turns to Luigi. "Likewise, you have proven to be quite the defender, all the way through 'til the princess returned. You just might be a better soldier than my whole squad combined."

Luigi laughs as he pats the back of his head. "It was nothing, sir. I would not have lasted for long had my brother not returned with the princess and affirmed the Koopa Troop's retreat."

Toadsworth sighs. "Are you sure you two can't stay? I know Toad Town is in shambles right now, but we can rebuild it and provide you with a nice place to stay. And who knows what the Koopa Troop is up to."

Luigi shakes his head. "We appreciate the offer, but we have friends back home who are probably wondering where we are. But thank you for helping us find that, uh, Special Pipe we came through."

"We have very eager volunteers who are scouring the location of interest as we speak" says General Toad. "Although…"

Then a Toad runs up to them, almost out of breath. "Sir! Guys! We found it!"

"You found the Special Pipe?" exclaims Luigi.

"Yeah. That coward Toad managed to stumble upon it when we were keeping away from some rogue Goombas."

"Excellent, lad! Show us the way, post haste!" Toadsworth turns to the general. "Keep an eye on the town."

"As always, old friend" he replies.

"Alright! We're heading home soon, bro!" Luigi fist-bumps the air as he follows the Toad with Toadsworth. Mario follows them close behind, although he hides away the look of worry and shame on his face.

* * *

Bowser stands on the large rubble pile where his last fort once stood. His soldiers scramble about, trying to collect all the usable army supplies from the other forts without tripping over each other. "Faster! We haven't got all day!"

A Hammer Brother approaches the Koopa King cautiously. "Lord Bowser, despite our best efforts, very few materials from the forts were recoverable. But nearly all the Bill Blasters are intact and on their way as we speak."

Bowser stops his ranting momentarily. "And the casualties?"

"Actually, despite the walloping that those heroes gave, there are no reported fatalities. Although we have a lot of us recovering, and a few are missing in…"

"Well, for those who are still standing, **step to it and prepare for battle!**" he roars so loud that all of the Koopa Troop can hear him. Then he jumps onto a flying platform provided by an Amazin' Flyin' Hammer Bro and directs it toward Peach's Castle. "They won't even see me coming!"

* * *

Mario, Luigi, and Toadsworth are following the Toad through the Mushroom Plains. As they reach one side of a pathway, the Toad signals them to stop. They peak from behind a pile of blocks and spot some Goombas conversing with each other in the middle of the path.

"Wait right here guys" the Toad tells Mario and Luigi. "I'm going to bring Toadsworth with me to set up a distraction. Once the Goombas start walking away, that's your cue to make a break for the Special Pipe, which is actually just a few paces straight ahead." He points beyond the next visible piles of blocks. "Just look out for Toad by the Special Pipe…if either of them still there. Well, good luck guys!"

"Feel free to wait for us if you'd like," says Toadsworth, "but if this is the last time we part ways…" His eyes begin to weld up as he cracks a smile.

But before he can continue, Toad taps his arm. "Here's our chance. We got to move on."

"Don't worry; we can wait a bit…" Mario nods to Toadsworth as the two Toads scurry along the road.

The brothers stay crouching behind the pile of blocks. Luigi stares intently at the Goombas, waiting for their move. Then he glances toward Mario, who is just sitting and sighing. "Hey, bro, help me keep watch. We're going to be making the run for the Special Pipe any minute!"

"Luigi…I've-a been thinking…" he whispers.

"About what?"

"Maybe we should…wait until things are-a alright here…"

"What?" Luigi stifles himself from yelling out loud. Fortunately, the Goombas don't hear him. "That Special Pipe could vanish to who-knows-where at any moment. If we're to go home, we need to take _this_ opportunity while we still can!"

"But, what about the Toads? The princess? You suggest we just leave them here in the middle of a crisis?"

He sighs, "Look, I know this isn't exactly courteous of us to leave at a time like this. And I feel as bad for them as you. But things here are so…" A scuffling sound breaks his train of speech. Both of them peak over the blocks again and see the Goombas running in the direction the Toads had gone. "Wait, now is our chance. Come on!"

Once the Goombas are a mere speck in the distance, the brothers make a break toward the Special Pipe.

* * *

Princess Peach carries her clipboard through the castle hallways, making notes on what to fix up. She stops in her bedroom, where she throws herself onto her bed, lying on her back and letting go of the clipboard.

"Well, nothing short of a quick fix," she sighs, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. For a few minutes, she lets the silence just settle in and gives herself the sweet release of peace. Then she frowns. _"No doubt about it; this state of quiet will not last long. But what much can I do? Only a few weeks into my actual leading position, and already I end up as a hostage with my kingdom left to ruin. Great, what will the council think of me now."_ She gasps and sits up. "Oh my gosh, the Toad Council! I almost forgot to check if they were safe!" Just then, there's a knock on her bedroom door. She quickly stands back up and smooths out her dress. "You may come in."

The door opens about halfway before General Toad takes a couple steps in. "Princess. It is to our great relief that the key members of our castle court are all safe and accounted for."

"Oh, that is great news!"

"In fact, the Toad Council has also been retrieved, and would like to hold council with you immediately, if you have a few moments."

"Of course! Please, step right in."

Seven more Toads walk into the room single file. General Toad walks out of the room while everyone else remains standing, with Peach across from the Toads.

"Oh, Princess Toadstool, thank goodness you are alright! We were so worried!" cries the eldest Toad with a green mushroom cap and red robe.

"I'm...alright, thank you Chancellor" she replies, a little crestfallen. "It's great to see you all are safe as well."

"We heard all about the battle, _and_ the hostage crisis while we were away!" says a pink Toad, and the only female counselor, with earrings and a buttoned-up shirt. "I can't believe how brave you were in the face of danger!"

"Neither can I," mumbles a maroon Toad with black pants.

"Oh don't you even start, Shmarr T!" says the pink Toad, "Like we could have fended off the Koopa Troop any better than she did!"

"We were hardly organized! Keeping your citizens tight-knit is the key to any leadership."

"Anyway," grins a green Toad with blue shades, "we won't fare any better next time if we don't all keep a cool head. So, what's the upside of things now?"

"Well, for a start, there are no casualties for our side of the battle at least, and the hospital staff has made enough progress to prevent overflow at the inns."

"Although Mushroom medicine is astounding given its backlog of historical uses, the sanitation of the medical buildings, or _any_ building for that matter, can't be good" says a blue Toad with reading glasses as he checks his notebook.

"That is the largest problem we face at the moment. We need to build up our defenses again, for whenever the Koopa Troop could retailiate."

"What about these human heroes from another place?" says a black Toad with pale clothes.

"Oh yes! I've heard quite the tales of these fine fellows, by boogity!" exclaims a blue Toad with glasses and a yellow tie.

She stops for a moment, collecting her mixed thoughts on when she first met Mario. "Well…"

* * *

Mario and Luigi catch up to Captain Toad, who is worryingly standing next to the Special Pipe. "Yeah, this was-a definitely just a few paces away" Mario says sarcastically.

"So this is it?" Luigi asks Toad excitedly. The Special Pipe is sticking upward from the ground this time, only up to the brothers' knees. It looks just like the other green Warp Pipes they had seen, but this one was much brighter in color tone.

"Yeah, this is it…" he replies, still looking frantically around like a frightened rabbit.

Luigi steps right up to the pipe. "Sweet! Thanks for keeping an eye out for it, but you probably want to get going back home before a Goomba spots you. Come on, bro!"

"W-wait!" he cries, snapping out of his fright. "Are you…are you guys sure you want to go now? You guys have been the greatest fighters against the Koopas I've ever seen in my life. Maybe you could stay, just a little longer?"

Luigi taps Toad's head. "I'm sorry, kid. If what is said about the Special Pipe is true, we may not have a second chance of going home."

"Look, why don't we just stay for a while longer?" Mario exclaims, almost in an exasperated tone.

Luigi turns to his brother, shocked by the sudden resistance. "Bro, don't you see? This is our only chance!"

"But this isn't right! We can't just leave them in the middle of a war."

"Their war seems to have lasted much longer than we've been here, and will probably continue for just as long. We don't have the patience or the stamina to keep fighting with them."

Now Mario looks visibly annoyed. "You mean _you_ don't have it in you to help them."

"That is not what I said."

Captain Toad stands idle next to the brothers. "Um, guys…"

But Mario is too ingrained in the argument with his brother to notice him. "I know you're-a reluctant at times to get into conflict, but if we abandon them in a hurry, things will only get much worse for them."

"You don't think I'm worried about them either? We got these strange super powers, and we can't even control them. What if we misuse it, or hurt someone innocent?"

"Practice, of course! Think of all the good we can do with our newfound strengths."

Luigi grows red in the face. "You are clearly not thinking straight! All you ever seem to care about is living as if you're always on an adventure!"

"I care about others…"

"Then what about Pauline, or the princess? You seem to prefer to run away from heart-to-heart confrontations while heading straight into hands-on trouble."

"And then what? Say something silly and make things worse? And what about you? You're-a even more of a coward than I am!"

Luigi flinches for a second. "I am not. And we're going now." He grabs Mario's arm.

Mario digs his feet into the ground and pulls back. "No! We are-a staying!"

Luigi struggles to get Mario to budge an inch, while Mario tries to squirm his wrist free from Luigi's grasp.

"Hey, wait! Hold up lads!" Toadsworth suddenly calls out to them as he tries to catch up to them. This startles both the brothers, just as Mario yanks his brother away hard. Luigi tumbles backward, trips on the rim of the Special Pipe, and falls in.

"Luigi! Luigi!" Mario cries down the pipe, as he begins to step in as well.

"No, wait!" Toadsworth calls again, now catching up to Mario and Captain Toad, along with the other accompanying Toad. He takes a moment to catch his breath. "Don't go in there yet."

"Why? My brother already went in, probably back in New York by now."

"Oh my! Have you forgotten already. The Special Pipe can appear anywhere and moves anywhere at anytime."

"I know, and we were-a lucky to find it this spot while it lasts."

"But the pipe has _two_ ends! This side returned to the Mushroom Kingdom, but what about the other end?"

Mario gasps as he looks back down the Special Pipe.

* * *

"…and that is how Mario and Luigi helped turn the tide for us all."

"Aw, that was so sweet of him to come rescue you" sighs the pink Toad.

Peach rolls her eyes. "Yeah, he's a real knight in shining armor."

The younger green Toad adjusts his shades. "I am quite interested in meeting these 'super brothers'. When could we meet with them?"

She sighs. "I'm sorry, but they just left to return to their homeland. Far from here, I'm afraid."

"Well, isn't that just great!" growls a deep, familiar voice. Peach and Toad Council turn to the balcony entrance to find none other than Bowser standing before them. A terrible grin spreads across his face. "Looks like my day just got a whole lot better!"

* * *

Luigi tumbles through the pipe until a light appears at the other end. But when he comes out, it isn't Brooklyn. Or any part of New York City. Or even the sewers. In fact, it isn't anything at all. Luigi floats out into a void of nothingness. Though the inertia from falling out the pipe keeps him floating aimlessly further and further from the Special Pipe.

"Great. Now where am I?"

But not even an echo answered his anguish. Luigi tries to wade his way back to the Special Pipe, but his inertia still kept him moving further and further into the blank expanse. Then, something appeared ahead of Luigi's path. The green clad plumber squints to try to get a good look at what he was moving toward. It appears to be some sort of foggy mass, with tints of all sorts of colors swirling like a kaleidoscope. As he got closer, it became clear that this green mass seems to slither about as if it's alive.

"What the…"

Suddenly, the green mass bolts toward Luigi. It surrounds him, envelops him even before he reacts with a yelp. He begins to panic, goosebumps crawling up his back. And then the distorted voices began to whisper in his ears.

"You are a coward."

"You flee before the fear of losing."

"You never were the sharpest knife in the drawer."

"Hey, who's there?" says a paranoid Luigi, "I'm not…" But the voices chanted loud and louder in his head.

"You will never step out of the shadows of your brother."

"Your brother is much better than you."

"Always a bridesmaid, never a bride."

Luigi pulls his cap with both hands over his eyes. "That's not…" But the voices still drown him out.

"You're just a mere king of second bananas."

"You're a sad clown."

"Nobody will ever recognize you."

The foggy mass flashes various shades of green. Luigi crouches into a fetal position as even his own appearance begins to change into inverted hues. "Stop! Please!" he whimpers. But the voices hardly relent, and the foggy mass phases through Luigi himself

"Second fiddle."

"Pale comparison."

"Killer from the shadows."

"Scaredy-cat."

"A nobody."

Luigi tears up as the voices ingrate his mind. "No. No! Nooooooo!"

* * *

"I'm-a going in, anyway!" says Mario

"But you could end up someplace worse!" says Toadsworth. "We need to inspect the path to find out." The Toad next to him continues fiddling with small monitoring instruments. Captain Toad still stands worryingly by Toadsworth.

Mario grips the edge of the Special Pipe, his 'pipe sense' failing to help him. "But I know Luigi is down there. I can feel it, and he's-a in trouble. I can't explain how I know, but I'm-a not going to stand here and let him suffer alone. I must get my brother!" Before any of the Toads can retort, the red-clad plumber jumps down the pipe.


	19. Kingdom Minus Hero (Part 2)

Mario slides down the Special Pipe, wasting no time getting to the other end. But to his great disappointment, he only ends up in an empty underground cavern. The ceiling is tiled with brick blocks, and on the other side of the cavern is a green pipe heading up through the ceiling.

_"Did Luigi come through here?"_ Mario thinks to himself as he heads toward the Warp Pipe.

_"No"_ responds an omnipresent voice.

Startled, he stops where he is and looks around. "Who's-a there? Who are-a you?"

_"How would one describe me? I am…the voice of reason. I am unbound, and above all things."_

"How…do you know my brother?"

_"He is not here, and he is not above."_

"You mean the Warp Pipe ahead? But, then where is-a he?"

_"He is beyond the pipe. He is in a place long forbidden."_

"So…how can I find him."

_"Your brotherly bond is powerful and beautiful. This is a rare thing. So rare that I will help you." _A darkened blotch appears on the upper end of the green pipe. _"You must jump here precisely. You must crouch here tightly. You must do both these things exactly."_

"Alright…" Mario leans in, then sprints toward the Warp Pipe. Just before the entrance to the pipe, he leaps toward the spot and crouches just before impact. He shuts his eyes and prays, _"Please let this work!"_ Then his feet touch solid ground. He opens his eyes and gets out of his crouching position. He finds himself in a much smaller version of the cavern he was just in, and a green pipe sticks out in the middle of the floor.

"Huh. So my brother went this way, right?"

No answer.

"Hello?"

_"He is in grave danger. As to all who enter the Minus World. If you, too, must follow this path, stay the course. Do not turn back. Do not stray the path. Do not let the negatives get the best of you. Keep peace of mind, and you will succeed. I see many trials ahead for you. And now I go."_

For a few seconds, absolute silence. Mario looks down the green pipe. "Hang tight, Weegee. I'm-a coming for you!" He takes a deep breath and jumps down the Warp Pipe.

* * *

Before anyone could even react, Bowser scoops up all seven of the Toads present in both his giant claws. "Bwahaha! This was almost _too_ easy!"

Princess Peach momentarily topples over to avoid the Koopa King's grasp. "How…" she mutters as she gets back up.

"Come on, princess. You think two super-humans are all it takes to take me out?"

"No. I mean, Mario took you out, but…"

"Like hell he didn't!" He nearly flings the Toads out of his right hand in a fling of rage, consisting of Toadiko, Toadbert, and Shmarr T.

"Aieeeee!" screams Toadiko.

"You let me go this instant!" blathered Shmarr T.

"By boogity, whatever you do, _don't_ let us go!" says Toadbert.

Peach waves her hands to get Bowser's attention. "Please, calm down! How about we just talk…"

"Setbacks! Just another setback is all that that will give me. But if you really want to talk…" he gestures toward the balcony. A blocky platform with wings is parked right outside. "…how about you step outside and I'll give you a ride to my camp quarters."

She frowns, "Subtle, but that doesn't sound like a good negotiation. How about right here? Just, put them down, _nicely_, and we can discuss whatever you want."

A crooked smile spreads across his face. "Tempting. If you don't like my first offer, how about a new one? You get on that platform and cooperate as I tell you…" He raises both his fists full of Toads. "…or perhaps I might drop them somewhere unpleasant!" With that, he bears all his teeth, a fire crackling at the back of his throat.

Peach's eyes widen as she witnesses the seven Toads squirming and yelping in the Koopa King's hands to no avail. "You wouldn't!"

"Have I ever not kept my word?"

She raises a shimmering-pink hand in protest, but stops short. Although her mind races furiously, her expression slowly morphs into a grimace at the thought of what she has to say. "Fine. I'll come."

"Good! Now come along, and don't you dare utter a peep while we ride." He steps onto the platform, the exhausted Toads still in his fists. Peach begrudgingly steps on as well. With that, the wings on the platform lift them all high into the sky before flying toward the Mushroom Plains.

Just as they disappear out of sight, General Toad knocks on the princess' bedroom door. "Princess? Russ T left one of his notes at home, and has been brought for the meeting. Hello?" Silence…for over a minute. A breeze blows from the balcony.

The general slams the door open, one hand holding the spear in its hilt. "Princess?" he bellows. In no time, he notices huge gashes on the carpet, like claw scrapes. He drops the notes he was to deliver. "Oh no, not again!"

* * *

Mario swims through the Minus World. But the water isn't even like the lakes in the Mushroom Plains. He can breathe it like air. His vision is cut to a hazy blur. Any noise that meets his ears feels like nippy static. However, the 'sea bottom' looks like scenery from the Mushroom Plains he had passed through earlier.

While slightly unsettling, the plumber focuses on one direction: forward. _"I must find Luigi!"_

After a long swim, Mario finds himself slowly sinking to the 'floor'. Gravity begins to take more effect, and he runs along the ground. The static noises clear up, but the new noises turn into irritating whispers.

_"What gives you the right to step into foreign affairs?"_

_ "Look at all the carnage you caused to the kingdom. Do you think it will ever get better?"_

_ "Turn back now; all you care about is yourself"_

Mario winces as the whispers persist. But he hardly slows his running pace. _"I don't care what others tell me. I have been alone with my brother for most of my life, and laughed off for experimenting with different things. But I'm still trying. I'm still listening. And I'll always be there for those I care about when it counts! The odds will never strike me out!"_

With each step, the scenery shimmers away until it vanishes all together. Soon, the red plumber finds himself weightlessly moving through an endless void. Absolutely nothing all around him. _"Come on, Weegee…where are you?"_

Right on cue, he spots a green splotch in the distance. Without even thinking where he is, he runs toward the spot. The green spot gets larger and larger, until Mario can clearly see the green mass as a lively swirl of fog. "Luigi?" Mario gets an even closer look, and through the fog is a curled up figure. It was in fact Luigi, shivering and muttering profusely. "Luigi!" He reaches over and grabs ahold of his shoulder. As he pulls his brother out of his fetal position, a shot of pain spreads to him. Mario winces again, still stirred by the stinging whispers. "Argh, what the…?!"

Luigi stirs a bit as he moans, "Not a monster…not a monster…"

Mario glances worryingly toward his brother as he looks around for a way out. "Hang in there, Luigi! I'm-a here!"

"…m…ma…Mario?" Luigi moans.

"Yes! Please, stay with me! I'll get us out of here…" Mario hoists Luigi up so he slumps on his back, with a green-clad arm over his shoulders. He then aimlessly trudges them both through the void.

Inside Luigi's head, the voices of the green fog keep pestering him as they mentally eat away at his sanity. _"You are a weak and pathetic fool."_

_ "You will drag down everyone around you."_

_ "Can't do anything without your brother. Why can't you be more like your brother?"_

That last remark, combined with his brother's voice calling him periodically, strikes a different cord in his very fiber. Luigi begins to regain a little consciousness. "More like…my brother…" he murmurs.

Unfortunately, as Luigi slowly stirs awake, the green essence that seeped into his body tries to spread to his brother. The whispers become more audible and distracting to Mario. _"Who's ever going to take you seriously?"_

_ "If you can't fit in in Brooklyn, where is left for you to go?"_

_ "You have the most ridiculous accent, and you know it!"_

Mario bites his lip and continues to drag his brother through the Minus World. _"Geez, not helping! I need to find a way out of this place!"_

A split-second migraine pulses through his head, which stops Mario in his tracks. But as soon as it stops, the voices cease. At the same time, he spots the entrance to the Special Pipe a short distance ahead. "Wa-hoo! Finally!" He gentle jostles his brother. "Hey, Luigi, I don't know how, but we're going to make it out!"

Although partly unconscious, a small smile appears on the green plumber's face. _"Home…"_

The voices still persist in his head, albeit diminished in intensity. _"Clumsy…aloof…scaredy-cat…"_

The brothers begin to enter the Special Pipe. Mario links his right arm with Luigi's as he takes the lead. The pull of the pipe takes them out of the Minus World.

Mario sweatdrops as he feels the combined weight of he and his brother increase as they get further and further from the Minus World. _"Almost home…"_

* * *

Bowser lands his winged platform by the Koopa Troop base camp. A Hammer Brother and a few other soldiers help apprehend Princess Peach and the Toad Council by tying them up. The Koopa King and the princess glare at each other hard.

"What are your orders, King Bowser?" says the Hammer Bro.

He grunts, maintaining his contact with Peach. "I want you to mobilize. The Mushroom Kingdom has done enough to delay our efforts. Now...we will attack and reclaim what is rightfully mine!"

The Toads gasp, while Peach sweatdrops.

* * *

Toadsworth and Captain Toad pace around the Special Pipe, which fortunately still hasn't moved yet.

"Do you think they'll come back…ever?" gulps Toad.

"I hope so," replies the old Toad, "At this rate, our messenger might come back to us before they do…"

Just then, General Toad comes running up to them. A Goomba tries to catch up to him, but he simply swats it away with his spear. "Red alert! Dire emergency!"

"Oh my, what's the trouble?" says Toadsworth as the general catches up to them.

"The princess…and the council…the Koopa King has kidnapped them…again!" he gasps furiously.

"Oh no!" cries Captain Toad hysterically.

Toadsworth's eyes grow wide as he stands there petrified. "No…" he curses under his breath. "Why ? Why now?!" he blathers as he drops his cane.

"Get it together, steward!" spits the general, almost losing it himself. "We need all the man power we can get! Where's those Mario brothers?"

Captain Toad stutters, "They…they…"

Suddenly, Mario and Luigi shoot out of the Special Pipe. The red plumber barely lands on his feet, trying to keep his brother from further harm.

"Mario!" the three Toads exclaim simultaneously. Toadsworth immediately leaps upon Mario and grovels at his feet. "Oh thank heavens you've returned in one piece! We need your help immediately. Please, the princess is in danger!"

Mario shakes his head. "Hold on…my brother…" They all look at Luigi, who is still half-conscious and muttering to himself.

"This man need medical attention" says General Toad. "This ain't the time to go mad dashing into another battle! Come on, let's head back to Toad Town; the folks will need some guidance and structure with the leading heads out of the picture." He and Captain Toad take Luigi off Mario's shoulders and help the green plumber walk back toward the capitol.

Mario walks alongside Toadsworth as they follow. He turns to the old Toad. "The princess...what happened?"

"In the Koopa King's clutches…" Toadsworth's mind trails off into space.

He puts a hand on the old Toad's shoulder. "Don't worry; we'll help get her back again." Toadsworth beams and is about to spew a bajillion praises, but Mario holds a hand up to stop him. "But this time, I want my brother and me to be prepared. So…tell me everything about the Koopa Troop I need to know…"

As the group heads back to Toad Town, they fail to notice the green splotch spewing out of the Special Pipe…


	20. Lost to the Next Level (Part 1)

"…got it all?" asks Toadsworth.

"Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Koopa Paratroopas, Hammer Brothers, Lakitus, Spinies, Buzzy Beetles, Piranha Plants, and Bullet Bills for ground force, and Cheep Cheeps and Bloopers as outliers…got it" says Mario.

The two of them sit outside an infirmary tent, waiting on Luigi's condition. General Toad directs the Toads to where repairs and defense walls are needed.

A male Toad passes by, carrying a sack of yellow coins. "Oh, Toadsworth," Mario starts, "what are those coins used for? I've seen them all through the Mushroom Plains while I was looking for the princess."

"That's our currency. Those coins are what we use to pay for everything here…at least, when our kingdom was more functional."

"Why are there so many discarded coins?"

"Not discarded, my dear boy; spawning. You see, these coins come from question blocks, which we mine from by striking them. They take at least a week to produce even one coin, and since the coins actually don't last more than two week either, we never had a huge runaway inflation when properly maintained."

"Huh. Um, then how come they disappear the instant I touch them?"

"Oh? That shouldn't happen. Unless…" Toadsworth takes Mario's gloved hand, inspecting it intently. His eyes widen a bit. "This will sound weird, but I want you to swipe through the air, as if you're reaching for a drink on a table."

A confused Mario replies, "Okay…" before trying the motion out. The first couple of tries, nothing happens.

"Again, as if you're reaching out for something…"

The third time though, a rippled distortion appears in front of them, and hundreds of coins spill out. Mario backs away a bit in shock. "What the…how?"

"Oh my! Just as I thought!" Toadsworth exclaims. "You're a Star C…" he stops himself short and turns away.

"A what? How did I do this?"

He takes a few seconds to respond, "It is a rare gift. Only a few in the entire history of our world have abilities like that. In your case, you have the ability to store items in a private pocket dimension."

Mario stares at the large pile of coins before him. "Wow. What else can I do?"

"Who knows, but if you find any other changes to yourself that you never encountered in…that other world…then that's probably a unique ability, too."

Just then, a young female Toad comes shyly up to them. She is green capped, with a green buttoned shirt, and brown-haired pigtails. She holds a few flowers behind her back, and is blushing a little.

"May we help you?" Toadsworth asks her, avoiding any further questions Mario might have.

She turns to Mario, blushing a little more. "I…I wanted to s-see your brother, please…" she squeaks.

"He's recovering, right now," the red plumber replies, "but when they say he's ready, you can come in with us."

She beams, "Oh, thank you!"

"Your name?"

"Oh, right. I'm Toadia."

"Nice to meet you."

Then, a Toad in doctor's gear comes out of the tent. "Mario?"

The three of them stand up in front of the doctor. "How's my brother?" asks Mario.

"Why don't you step inside and see for yourself."

The three follow the doctor into the infirmary tent. Among a few Toads still recovering from injuries in the first fight, Luigi sits upright in a separate recovery bed. A couple of nurse Toads use medical instruments to check up with them, but every time they poke him with one, he laughs. In fact, his whole expression is very upbeat.

The Toad doctor leads the group to Luigi's bedside. "As you know, Luigi was fairly comatose when you brought him under our care. But after a few hours of rest and the use of one of our reserve Refreshrooms, he's as fresh as a daisy…"

"Oh, hey bro!" Luigi interrupts, oblivious to the doctor's talk. "Glad you could come see me!"

"I'm glad you're feeling much better."

"Yeah!" His perky smile fades. "Wait, what happened in the first place?"

Mario cocks an eyebrow. "What do you mean? We were heading home when the Special Pipe gave you a detour."

Luigi blinks. "Really? Last I recall, we were helping out the Mushroom Kingdom." A smile returns to his face. "It was amazing! Saving the princess, beating the bad guys, sneaking through enemy lines…"

As he rambles on, Mario turns to the doctor. "Are you sure he's okay?"

The doctor puzzles, "Maybe a little too perky? This is new to me, but the effects of his tribulations in the Minus World seem to have twisted his mind a bit. If we had more resources, we might be able to analyze his brain patterns."

Mario sighs, "Alright, but is he _okay_?"

He ponders for a moment. "Yes, I think he will be alright. Maybe keep an eye on him, though."

Toadia breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you, doctor!"

Mario takes the doctor's hand to shake it. "Thank you, Doctor…"

The doctor shakes his hand. "…Toad. Doctor Toad. And glad to help!"

Mario glances to Toadsworth and whispers. "Is _everyone_ named after their species?"

"No…" says Toadsworth quietly. "…almost…maybe?"

Toadia comes up close to Luigi's side, hiding the flowers behind her back and blushing profusely. "H-h-hi. I…do you remember me, Luigi?"

Luigi turns to her, still jovial. "Oh, you one of the Toad children who were trapped on a second floor shelter, right?"

She perks up. "Yes! You…c-caught me when I fell." She blushes even more as she reveals the flowers behind her. "I…t-these are for you."

"Aw, thanks, miss!"

Suddenly, General Toad rushes into the tent. "Toadsworth! Mario! Something strange is going on out here!"

Mario, Toadsworth, and Dr. Toad rush out with the general. "Wait for me!" says Luigi as he jumps out of bed. Toadia also follows, still holding the flowers. They all go outside, and all around them, what looks like isolated greenish static charges spread randomly all over town. One spark comes into contact with a building, changing the roof color from red to yellow. Another spark changes Dr. Toad's stethoscope around his neck into a necklace of pebbles. This same spark also touches Toadia's flowers, transforming them into drinking straws.

"Aw man!" Toadia cries.

Luigi pats her head. "It's alright. It's the thought that counts anyway."

As Toadia nearly faints, Mario points out the green wisps of static. "That stuff sort of looks like the stuff that Luigi got attacked by. What is it?"

Luigi suddenly goes stiff, staring into space.

Toadsworth replies, "I actually don't know. Anything you noticed general?"

"Well, I've told everyone not to touch it," says General Toad, "though in a couple of accidentally cases someone did, it doesn't seem to affect Toads. The items and buildings, on the other hand, have changed colors, shapes, and sizes to various degrees. This will prove problematic to our defenses, for sure."

Toadsworth turns to Mario. "Perhaps now would be an immediate time to go rescue our princess and the council, before the Koopa Troop mounds an attack."

"You're right." Mario turns to Luigi. "You stay and help General Toad again. I'm going to sneak in and see what I can do in one go."

Inside Luigi's mind, his inner thoughts broil. _"I must help my bro!"_

_ "It'll be too dangerous if Bowser's there!"_

_ "But, then my brother needs me even more!"_

_ "What could I do to help?"_

_ "…anything my brother needs…"_ Luigi snaps out of his trance and grabs Mario's arm just as he's about to make a break out of Toad Town. "I'm coming with you!"

Mario looks back surprised. "But you just got better. I think you should rest a bit here to be ready in case the Koopa Troop does try to attack."

"I'm ready already. And I want to help you, just like old times."

Mario stops for a moment. Then he smiles, "Alright then. Maybe you are better after all. Stick to my side then!" And the two run off toward the Mushroom Plains.

"Good luck guys!" Toadsworth shouts after the brothers. He turns to General Toad. "Is it just me, or does Mario's accent sound a bit more subdued?"

"Let's-a go!" Mario shouts as the two cross the town border.

"Nah, just sounds more tolerable" concurs the general.

* * *

Bowser stands before a table, with a map of the Mushroom Kingdom area. Then he looks up and notices something odd. Green static spreads into the army camp around him. Goombas and Koopas jump back in surprise as Bill Blasters change shape and colors, and some parts of the ground rise and fall slightly. The Koopa King strokes his chin, the gears turning in his devilish mind.

A Koopa Troopa approaches him. "My king! There's something strange happening across the Mushroom Plains! What do we do?"

The Koopa King grins. "What are we going to do? We're going to win, that's what we're going to do!" He looks back at his map on the table. "See, we've already got our forces spread out into five groups."

"Yes, sir. Three have split up our prisoners to take them to previous camps, one is here, and another is out to prepare another attack on Toad Town. Isn't that a little risky?"

Bowser glares at the Koopa. "Maybe to a simple-minded fool. But the key here is the wild factor…" he steps up to one spot of green static buildup. He pokes a finger onto the spot. The green sparks dance up his finger and around his claws. Then, as he raises his hand, the ground where the spot is rises with it, until a pillar-like mound is formed. "Bwahaha! I'll need a little practice, but that's where the prison holders come in. I suspect a rescue force will come to rescue them. And _that_ will leave the Mushroom capitol for the taking!"

"You're the man, Lord Bowser!" exclaims the Koopa Troopa.

* * *

The brothers run across the plains, jumping across block platforms and mushroom stalks. Mario looks to Luigi, who seems to be more jovial than ever before. _"Maybe the doctor's right,"_ ponders Mario, _"maybe my brother is not worse for wear."_

It doesn't take long until they spot a convoy of Koopa Troop members far ahead. The two sneak up closer and hide behind some blocks. With a better look, the two immediately spot three Toads tied by their ankles and wrists, bound by a gag at their mouths, and forced to march with the line. A decent number Buzzy Beetles, Hammer Bros, Goombas, and Paratroopas keep watch over them.

"Ready, Weegee?" Mario asks his brother.

"Oh yeah!" Luigi replies enthusiastically.

The brothers jump onto the scene. The Hammer Brothers notice them first and charge at them head on, hammers thrown furiously. Mario and Luigi barely dodge the rain of hammers, while the Buzzy Beetles also close in on them. But the brothers come up with the same idea. First they jump on the Buzzy Beetles, forcing them to retreat into their shells. Then they kick them toward the Hammer Bros, knocking them out as well. The Goombas huddle around the captive Toads, who intently watch the battle before them unfold.

One Koopa Paratroopa flees the scene. "I'll let our king know that we're ready for the next phase" he tells another. The Paratroopas try to swoop in to swarm the brothers in a cloud of shells. But Luigi footstool jumps off Mario's hands as the red plumber boosts the other high over any of the Paratroopas. To the unfortunate Koopas, Luigi stomps on each one on the way down to the ground. Their wings get clipped, and they fall to the ground as well, most on their backs. Mario and Luigi stare down the Goombas, which is all it takes for them to scamper off to help their fallen comrades.

Mario helps a black-capped Toad untie himself, as Luigi does with a pink Toad. When Luigi gets the pink Toad ungagged, she shouts, "Look out!"

Suddenly, Piranha Plants sprout out of the ground. Half of them look like the average Piranha Plant, but the others are a maroon color. These are much more vicious, and make the first lunge at the heroes.

"Mamma mia!" Mario cries as he shoves the three Toads toward Luigi. A maroon Piranha Plant makes the first strike, but Mario puts a foot out to push it back. "Get the Toads to safety, Luigi. I'll hold them off for now."

Luigi runs to the other side of a hill, with the three Toads scurrying behind him, while the Piranha Plants nearly surround Mario. The red plumber becomes outstretched as he struggles to push the ravenous plants away with both his arms and legs. Then, a green and red Piranha Plant comes underneath him. The plumber takes the opportunity to tuck his arms in and footstool jump off the plant's jowls. As the Piranha Plants bump into each other and entangle themselves, Mario makes a run after his brother.

Mario catches up behind some bushes, and the group takes a moment to take a breather. The brothers finish untying the three Toads.

"Thank you for saving us!" says the pink Toad. "You guys must be the heroes we heard about. Mario and Luigi?"

"Yeah, anytime!" says Luigi shyly.

"Who are you guys?" Mario asks.

"I'm Husk T," says the dark-capped Toad, "a member of the Toad Council. As are Toadiko and Russ T."

"Glad to meet you in person" says the blue Toad, Russ T. "Quite remarkable. You are human like the princess, yet look quite different from any human I've read about before. Are you from a distant kingdom?"

"I guess so?" Luigi puzzles.

"We're from…" But Mario is cut short by a red shell that cut rights through the group. It spins around them a few times before going air-born. Out pops a Koopa Paratroopa, the same one that had reported to Bowser.

"My, you guys are slow. Koopa the Quick could run circles around you!" scoffs the Paratroopa.

Mario and Luigi clench their fists. "What do you want?"

"Oh, it's nothing _I_ want. But our lord and king Bowser has a message for you." He grins. "You see, he knows that you're looking for a certain pesky princess and her lackey Toads, who by now are somewhere far on the other side of the Mushroom Plains. Perhaps outside the known bounds of the Mushroom Kingdom by now."

"You let her go!" says Mario. "We already beat you and your king once, or have you already forgot?"

"You watch your tongue about our rightful king!" the Paratroopa snaps. "After all, should you really save the princess now…when there's a full-fledged army near the doorstep of the capitol?"

"No…" gasps Luigi.

The Paratroopa sneers, "Oh yes. Now what will you do, _heroes_?"


	21. Lost to the Next Level (Part 2)

"So, what's it going to be?" the Koopa Paratroopa sneers at the plumbers and Toads just beneath him. "Save the princess? Or save the town?"

Mario scowls, "How about _you_ put a sock in it?" and he gives the red Paratroopa an uppercut to the face.

The Paratroopa tumbles backward in the air, feathers falling out of his wings. "Ack! You are so screwed! I'm out!"

As the Paratroopa hastily flies away, Russ T approaches the brothers. "I suggest you make quick work of rescuing the others."

"But, what about your town?" asks Luigi, "We could still make it back and…"

"The princess is of utmost important," Toadiko interrupts, "but thank you for the gesture."

"Besides, I know of a few shortcuts around the kingdom" Russ T continues.

"And I know someone who can get the message to them quickly," Husk T pipes up.

"Alright then," says Mario, "my brother and I will continue the rescue operation. Stay safe!" The brothers split up from the three Toads in opposite directions. Then they stop by some yellow blocks to collect Fire Flowers.

Unbeknownst to the brothers, a periscope-like Warp Pipe keeps a watchful eye on them from high into the clouds. And looking through that pipe is none other than Bowser. The Koopa King laughs, "You puny plumbers think you've got this in the bag? Well, now that I've got _plenty_ of practice, let's see what this 'negative' energy can really do!"

As the brothers pocket their Fire Flowers in their dimensional pocket, the ground trembles. "What the…" starts Luigi.

"Breaks over then," says Mario, "we got to get moving, now!" The two run across the Mushroom Plains. Holes and chasms begin to form. Chunks of the ground tear open. Some pieces float into the air.

"Not so fast!" Bowser smirks as he clenches his fist.

The brothers skid to a halt as a deep trench rips around them. Before they can even react, the chasm stretches out many meters wide. "Aw, man! How are we ever going to jump across this?" says Luigi.

Mario looks over the edge disappointedly. Then he looks up and spots a warp pipe suspended on a blocky platform. "Up there. Maybe we can get out that way…" He tries jumping up to reach it, but to no avail.

Bowser laughs, "That's it, Mario. Dance. Dance, forever!"

"Let me try…" says Luigi. He also tries jumping to the Warp Pipe.

"You almost have it" says Mario.

Luigi also struggles to leap to the Warp Pipe. Suddenly, the green plumber bonks his head hard on something invisible in the air. As Luigi rubs the top of his head in confusion, a brown block materializes in the air.

"That just might do it!" Mario exclaims. He leaps onto the block, and then just makes it to the Warp Pipe. Luigi follows suit, and together they slide down the pipe.

"What?" Bowser cries, "I didn't put that there? Where did that block come from?" He taps his foot as he thinks this over for a second. "Now how will I know where they went?" Then he smirks, "Of course. I've left plenty of traps across the Mushroom Plains. Sooner or later, they will fall before my power!"

* * *

General Toad sits himself on the steps in front of Peach's Castle. He puts down the clipboard he's holding and looks up to the sky. Wispy clouds float through the clear blue sky. For a moment, the edge of his mouth begins to form a curve for a smile. But then he frowns once more. Some eyes begin to sprout on the clouds. Then, a grey mass of clouds begin to take shape over the Mushroom Plains.

"The good ol' days will never return at this rate…" he murmurs.

Suddenly, a Toad runs up to him. "Sir! A messenger has come, specifically for you! Something to do with the Toad Council."

The general bolts to his feet. "Say no more! Where is he now?"

The Toad leads the general over to a mini camp. A purple Toad huffs and gasps as he hunches over a log bench. When the general approaches him, he looks up. "Never thought I'd run to you, but this is serious."

General Toad looks at him with a tinge of disgust. "Well, never thought _I'd_ be listening to a runaway, but since you're a good sport for others, I can definitely make an exception. Now, what's the news?"

Purple Toad takes a sip of water, then replies, "Half the Toad Council is saved. They found me…told me to warn you…" He takes another sip, his eyes saggy. "The Koopa King has an army heading back to attack, again! They'll come any minute!"

General Toad barely moves. Then he turns to the Toad who helped him. "Alert Toadsworth; he needs to stay in the castle where it's safer. And for everyone else: battle stations once again!" He turns to Purple Toad and slaps the cup of water he's holding upwards. The splash of water perks Purple Toad up. "And I'll need every able body on deck! You going to run away a second time?"

Purple Toad blinks, then shakes his head. "No, sir. I'll stay."

"Good. Now let's get moving!"

* * *

"Hey, bro? Is it just me, or does it seem like _all_ the clouds and bushes have eyes on us?" says Luigi nervously as he follows Mario through the Mushroom Plains.

Mario glances about. "Yeah…as long as they're not Bowser's eyes, I think we're okay." But when he looks back down, he stops for a moment. Both plumbers notice the ground turn from their lush green shades to a dull brown tone.

"Let's press on…" he murmurs.

Suddenly, the wind begins to pick up. The brothers hold a hand to their caps, while running onward. But as they go over the dirt hills, the wind increases to gale force.

When they near a steeper hill, Mario slows up while Luigi presses on. "Geez, what's with this wind now…" he says. But just as they reach the top, Luigi gasps as he nearly walks into a deep trench that divides the hill they climbed. Then…the winds change. Now blowing at their backs instead of their faces, Mario is the first to nearly fall forward. He bumps into Luigi, who nearly falls into the trench had his brother not grabbed a hold of his overalls. "(phew!) Thanks, bro."

Mario glances ahead as they stop in place. He notices the hill plateaus a little, with a series of wide trenches dotting the way across. "You know, with the wind this strong, we might…" But he is interrupted when the wind changes in the opposite direction again. The two duck to the ground.

"What now?" Luigi asks as over the howling wind.

"We wait until the wind changes again. Once it blows at our backs, we run, and jump the trenches." For a while, they wait. And wait. And wait.

Finally, the wind changes in the favor they were looking for. "Let's a-go!" Mario shouts as the two bolt with the wind. They run up to the first trench, a little hesitant at first, but make the leap. The wind helps give them the extra push to make it across.

As the two begin to jump the second trench, the 'all-seeing pipe' Bowser uses sticks up in the area. The Koopa King squints as he spots the brothers almost make it across the plateau. "Hmph! Looks like they are making it through my wind trap. Well, if I can't snare them in the air…" He makes a long horizontal swipe, as if tugging something in front of him. "…then perhaps the sea can!"

As Mario and Luigi jump the final trench, the side they land on suddenly morphs into a steep incline. The brothers slip down the slope of the plateau, and fall into a lake. They sink to the bottom the lake. "Where did this water come from?" Luigi blurts out.

Mario shrugs his shoulders. Then they swim toward the surface. But along the way, some gray Cheep Cheeps take note of their presence. They swim toward them like a confused mob, which gets the plumbers to swim faster. Just before the Cheep Cheeps reach them, the brothers leap onto the shoreline. The two stay crouching as they take a moment to catch their breath.

"Well, at least we won't get chased by those things again" says Mario. Suddenly, a series of splashes come from the lake. The two look behind them. A bunch of Bloopers suspend in the air, as if maintaining buoyancy.

"Uh oh…" gasps Luigi. Then the Bloopers 'swim' toward the brothers, who in turn high tail away from the lake. "Quick, find a Super Mushroom!"

Bowser laughs as the Bloopers stay on their tail. "Ah, I could watch this all day!" Then he hears something crash from the Koopa Troop camp. He sighs, "Well, I've got to go set my _final_ trap…before my soldiers might ruin it." He waves his hand behind him, which makes the telescope pipe vanish into the ground.

He walks up to his Koopa Troop camp, whom are consolidating their belongings in the center. Along the edge, a wagon of goods has fallen apart due to a broken wheel. A Goomba and a Koopa Troopa argue between each other.

"How the heck could you be so clumsy? You just had to tow the Bill Blaster _next_ to my wagon, not _on top_ of it" the Koopa Troopa yells.

"Well, I don't exactly have the **hands** to pull carefully!" the Goomba retorts sarcastically.

"Oh, don't give me that! I've seen you carrying food rations no problem! In which case, how…"

"Enough!" grumbles Bowser as he steps up to them. The two go quiet immediately. "Just keep the stuff from blowing up. We're leaving now." Before they can respond, Bowser turns their backs to them and makes it to the center of the gathering.

A Lakitu floats up to them. "The princess has been hauled to the new fortress, sir."

"Awesome! And the remaining Toad prisoners?"

"Locked up in the base with the other squad on guard. They also have mentioned having someone chosen to man the _special_ Bowser suit."

"Alright! Let's capitalize on this good fortune and move out!" He raises both his hands. As he strains every fiber of his body, a vortex of wind surrounds the Koopa Troop. The soldiers huddle up nervously as the tornado envelops them without harm. Dust and plants swirl around them. When everything settles, they vanish from the site, with only a dirt-gritted imprint in their place.

* * *

Captain Toad crouches nervously behind some house rubble. A couple of Toads jog pass him, calling out new recruits. When the coast clears, he runs across the street toward another reduced building. _"Just a few more blocks until the front door of the castle. I'm almost safe…"_ As he slips behind the rubble, on the other side of the path, he trips over something he did not see. After picking himself up, he looks back and sees a yellow Toad sleeping on his side.

The Yellow Toad stirs. He sits up and rubs his eyes as he squints toward Captain Toad. "What? Is the fighting over already?"

"Oh, sorry! Were you hiding, too?" he whispers back.

"No, I just wanted to finally sleep. But, yeah, I'm not much of a fighter."

"Hey, if you want, you can come with me to the sewers beneath the castle. It may be a bit dank, but at least we can hide there."

"And take a nap?"

"As long a nap as you'd like."

"Good enough for me."

"Okay then." He peaks over the rubble, spotting the castle fairly close by. Then he turns back to Yellow Toad. "As long as we're not spotted, we should go…"

"And what are **you** doing?" says a voice on the other side of the rubble.

Captain Toad jumps back with a yelp. "Nothing! Nothing! Just…l-l-looking for…something…"

A blue Toad comes around the pile of rubble to join them. "As if! I'll bet you two are trying to hide from General Toad!"

"What?! N-n-no, I…"

"Ugh, I'm just going to take a quick nap, if nobody minds…" mumbles Yellow Toad as he lies back down.

"Ha, you guys are in _so_ much trouble!" the Blue Toad smirks.

"W-w-well…" Captain Toad pauses for a second. "Wait a minute, what about _you_? The registration is in the _other_ direction. So, what are _you_ doing here?"

He sweat-drops. "Well…I'm in no hurry. B-b-but I _do_ want to help. My sister is with the others in the shelter, and I want to help make this town better for her…"

"That's good to here!" barks a gruff voice.

Captain Toad and Blue Toad both jump in surprise. Standing right behind them is General Toad. A purple Toad is also standing a bit further behind him.

"You in the blue; I need you to come with me. And **you**!" He hold Captain Toad by the arm, as Blue Toad worryingly follows. "You may be my red color, but I'm not going any easier on you! Especially if you're going to cower like the little wimp you wish to be! **And** you!" He shouts extra loud toward Yellow Toad.

"Hm? Wha…again…" moans Yellow Toad as he sits back up.

He sighs. "Just wake up and follow me. The more cooperation you guys give me, the faster we can put up our defenses…"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Bowser Base, a red Koopa Troopa approaches a green Koopa Troopa around the corner of a hallway.

"Hey, come over quick! Those heroes are in view!" says the red Koopa excitedly.

"Oh, no _way_ am I missing this!" the green Koopa replies.

The two rush over to a room in the castle, blocked off by a Firebar on two, opposite sides. A bunch of other soldiers of the Koopa Troopa hvae already present, and crowd around a wide Warp Pipe. It works similarly to Bowser's periscope-like Warp Pipe, and has the capability to get a good view of the area in front of the base.

Sure enough, within the barren expanse that formerly was the green-filled Mushroom Plains, stand Mario and Luigi. The Koopa Troop inside the base watch with glee as the plumbers struggle to avoid maroon Piranha Plants.

"Man, they're getting chewed!" laughs a Goomba.

The plumbers also get bombarded by a barrage of Bullet Bills.

"Yo, shoot them down! Shoot them down!" says a Hammer Bro between shoving mouthfuls of bagged snacks.

After managing to pass by the carnage, strong winds begin to slow them to a crawl.

"Yeah, Lord Bowser's handy work strikes again!" cries a red Koopa Troopa.

Then, the brothers reach a series of huge pits blocking their way to the base. With the wind still groaning and their muscles aching, the two try to use a series of springs placed sporatically.

"Look at those loons!" laughs a Buzzy Beetle as he rolls onto his back shell. Sure enough, everyone begins to roll on the floor and hold on to themselves from laughing so hard. Especially as they witness the plumbers flailing about in the air as they struggle to push against the wind currents. But because they are so busy laughing, they miss seeing the brothers eventually get to the other side of the blustery pits and enter their base.

One Koopa among them sits up, still laughing. He tries to wipe some of the tears out of his eyes. "Ah, what a riot! I'll bet the two never make it to the front door…" As he absent-mindedly looks up, he notices two figures standing by one side of the room. He rubs his eyes again. Standing there are Mario and Luigi. The two heroes lean over, catching their breath. Their clothes are torn and caked with dirt. But their eyes burn with an angry fervor.

The Koopa Troopa's eyes dilate. "Uh, oh…" but he is too late to react. Although some of the Koopa Troop stopped laughing in time to spot Mario and Luigi, the two plumbers already jump upon them. One by one, they fall beneath the might of their stomps, like fish in a barrel. Within minutes, the fight is over, and the two heroes continue their way out of the room.

"So who do you think they have held captive here?" asks Luigi as the two jump precariously across a lava pit.

"Don't know," says Mario, "depends on whether the 'Bowser' we face is real or fake."

The two enter the largest room in the base. It is built much like the other boss rooms they encountered so far, only much larger in scale this time. A grated door falls behind the doorway they just came through. There before them stands the Koopa King. At first, the two plumbers quickly get into a fighting stance.

"Tremble before my might!" boasts the Koopa King, "And burn in the cinders of your doom!"

The two heroes relax a bit and roll their eyes.

"A fake…" they both mutter.

False Bowser charges at them first, but the brothers easily run out of the way. _"Clunky legs…how does he run like this?"_ the fake king mutters. Then he pulls out a couple of hammers. Although the brothers tense up, ready to jump, False Bowser looks at the two hammers he holds. Then he shrugs and tosses them behind him, over the edge of the platform. "Heck, why even use these…" He winds back and takes a deep breath, flames building at the back of his throat. "…when I can do this?" He bellows a column of flames across the platform.

The size and ferocity of the flamethrower catches the brothers off-guard. The two jump in opposite directions, although the flames lick their legs. Mario falls onto his stomach, writhing in pain as he curls up around his legs. Luigi crookedly lands on his feet, wincing, but faces False Bowser nonetheless.

False Bowser laughs, "Ah, now we're playing with fire! Although, it doesn't seem quite fair that I'm outnumbered two to one. I know!" He snaps his fingers. An aura of flame surrounds him as six columns of flames spread out from where he's standing. As the fire dies down, six more identical False Bowsers appear in place. "**Now**…we're even!"

Luigi screams in a panic. Mario still lies on the floor, but he musters up the strength to pop a Super Mushroom from his pocket dimension. As he gets up, Mario calls out to his brother, "I'll distract him…er, them. I feel a lot better. You go hit the switch."

Luigi snaps out of his shock. "O-Okay." The two switch spots on the platform, with Mario lunging head-on between the seven False Bowsers.

"Ah-ha! Welcome to my flames of disaster!" The fakes roar in unison as they all spew flamethrowers at the red plumber.

Luigi runs up to the edge of the platform, near the door to the dungeon room. He looks around, expecting a switch that would open the door and cause the arena platform to fall apart. But strange enough, there isn't one. "Hey, I can't find one!" Luigi cries back to his brother.

Mario frantically jumps away from each jet of flame. He precariously balances himself on two of the False Bowser's heads before he has Luigi's attention. "Well, there must be here somewhere!"

"Yeah, where you'll never find it!" laughs the False Bowsers. Mario continues to jump about, but even when he lands a hit, it hardly fazes them.

Luigi runs along the edge of the circular platform, looking around desperately for any sort of switch.

Then the False Bowsers have Mario efficiently surrounded. "Even if I _did_ know where they put it, I'll have you baked in time for an afternoon snack!" One of them sneaks behind the plumber and grasps his arms. Then he pins him to the ground.

Finally, Luigi spots a switch stuck to the wall of the room. He takes some steps back, minding the gap of lava between the arena's edge and the wall.

Six of the False Bowsers stand in a semi-circle around the plumber, smirking. "It was a decent fight, but I'm _more_ eager to watch the world **burn** in the wake of this war." One of them smacks their lips together with a gleeful grin. "Hope you like _extra_ crispy!" The six False Bowsers reel back as they charge up another round of flamethrowers. Mario tries to wiggle himself away, but the seventh False Bowser has him in too tight a grip.

At this moment, Luigi sprints up to the edge of the platform. He makes a huge leap, tucks himself in, and hits the switch with his feet. Then he back-somersaults off the switch and back onto the platform.

The whole room rumbles, enough to make the False Bowsers pause. Then everything is quiet, except for the bubbling lava around them.

The False Bowsers looks confusingly around. "Weird. I was told the switch was supposed to send a shock…"

Suddenly, a surge of electricity races down the chains holding up the platform. Luigi instinctively jumps into the air, while Mario tries to lift as much of his lower body off the ground as possible. Unfortunately for the False Bowsers, they hesitated long enough for the electricity to pass right through them. All of them grumble in pain. Six of them begin to smolder, then disintegrate into flame. The lone False Bowser vibrates violently.

"N-n-n-o-o-o f-f-i-i-z-z-z-z-z-z-l-l-e…" moans False Bowser as his eyes go blank. Then he falls flat on his stomach with a huge thud.

Luigi runs over to Mario, who is also a bit stirred by the electric shocks. "Are you okay?"

"Mama-mia…" he replies hazily.

Just then, the door to the dungeon opens, with a pathway between it and the arena rising from the lava. Luigi pulls out a Super Mushroom from his pocket dimension. "Here, take it before we go help out the Toads."

Mario loopily grasps the Super Mushroom, crushing it. As his numbness fades away and his eyes begin to focus again, four Toads step out of the dungeon.

"By-boogity! So this must be how those other Toads felt like to be freed!" cries a blue Toad with swirly glasses.

"Eh, about time if you asked me," grumbled a red Toad.

"Oh, hush you!" says an old green Toad, "You had almost gone mad like the rest of us in there!"

A green Toad with blue shades signals for them to halt. He adjust his shades as he looks at Mario and Luigi, standing up before them. "So, you must be the famed heroes we are to thank?"

"Yeah, that's us," Mario replies.

The green Toad grins, "_Amazing!_ You're certainly more intriguing than those jousting fellows I grew up with on cartoons as a kid"

"Ugh, let's **not** talk about that!" mutters the red Toad. He slyly approaches the plumbers and reaches out to shake Mario's hand. "Hello, I'm Shmarr T. The self-proclaimed geek is Mushbert, the one in blue is Toadbert, and the old timer is Chanister T. We're the highly esteemed members of the Toad Council. I hope we can work together to be rid of those barbaric Koopas."

"Um, yeah, that is the plan, eventually," Mario says slowly.

Chanister T clears his throat. "As much as we are very grateful for our rescue, there is someone _ else_ that we must see safe first."

Mario lets go of Shmarr T's hand. "Of course, the princess!"

"Do you happen to know where she might be?" Luigi asks.

Shmarr T frowns as he crosses his arms. "Unfortunately, she was split up from the rest of us. The Mushroom Plains are bigger than you think, so they could be anywhere."

"Actually," pipes up Toadbert, "I did see a castle with spires a bit of a distance from here."

"You mind showing us the direction?" says Mario as he leads the Toads on a way out of the base.

"No problem, by-boogity!" cheers Toadbert.

As the group leaves the arena room, a small fire poofs out of the mouth of the False Bowser. Pointy black eyes glare at the group from the flame as they go out of its view. But instead of following them, it jumps into the lava and 'swims' to a crack in the wall.

* * *

General Toad leads Captain Toad, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, and Purple Toad toward the outskirts of Toad Town. A wall of stone about their height comes along the right side of the town, with some spears spaced out along it, and a trench on each side. About every few yards, groups of a few Toads stand in some hastily erected forts by the wall.

The general brings the four to one of these forts. A lone green Toad is already standing in it, hunched over a table with a map. The green Toad looks up when they approach, but he frowns.

"Here you are. Four co-soldiers should help you here" says General Toad.

"No offense, sir," says Green Toad, "but I either don't know anything about them, or more than enough to tell a slacker when I see one…"

"What? You want to fight the Koopa Troop _alone_, soldier?" the general points off into the distance. The five of them look where he points. Not too far off, several tents are planted, with a flag with the emblem of the Koopa King flying eerily above them. Many soldiers of the Koopa Troop stand in rows, jeering and taunting the Toads with battle cries. The five Toads gulp in unison.

"No, sir…" sighs Green Toad.

"Good. Because we're going to need _all_ hands on deck! And, whether you like it or not, you five are going to have to make yourselves quite familiar with each other. Or else!"

* * *

Mario, Luigi, and the four Toads reach the main entrance doors, left open a crack. "Now, be careful," says Luigi to the Toads, "the Mushroom Plains has been going crazy these past few moments, so stay close to us."

"Duly noted," says Chanister T.

Mario and Luigi open the base doors as Toadbert immediately starts looking straight ahead toward the horizon. "So I saw this castle with pointy spires. Very tall, by my estimate." Toadbert glances toward the rest of the group, who are staring in awe and fear. "What…" then he looks up. "Oh, _there_ it is. Huh…"

Towering right in front of them is the very castle Toadbert described, complete with countless Bill Blasters aimed straight at them.

From the highest window, Bowser looks down at the puny heroes. "You're in luck, princess!" He gloats over his shoulder.

Princess Peach stands in a cage hanging from the ceiling. She grips the bars as she grits her teeth. "Stop this madness! All this power…it's not right!"

Bowser laughs, "Spat all you want, but I'm about to use this negative energy to wipe your newfound heroes off the face of the world!" He raises his hands, as if cuing a choir. "And you get front row seats to their demise! I hope you're watching."

Peach keeps her eyes on Bowser's arm motions intently. "Oh, I'll be watching all right…" she mutters under her breath.


	22. Lost to the Next Level (Part 3)

Mario, Luigi, Toadbert, Mushbert, Shmarr T, and Chanister T stare in awe at the sudden appearance of Bowser's new fortress. As they do so, the Koopa Troop soldiers on the wall walk notice them, and immediately turn the Bill Blasters toward them.

Chanister T is the first to back away slowly. "This isn't good" he says.

The very earth around the castle shifts in a spiral formation, making the already tall fortress appear even taller. Just out of the heroes' sight, Bowser stands in the highest tower, directing the moving earth as if conducting a concert. When satisfied, he directs his voice throughout the fortress, using the same negative energy he utilized to manipulate the Mushroom Plains. "All cannons are a go…" He points right at Mario and Luigi on the ground. "Fire!"

A hellfire of Bullet Bills blast out of every Bill Blaster. As they rain down, Mario and the others race away from the fortress. Luigi lifts up Chanister T as he takes the lead of the retreat. "How the heck are we going to get into that fortress?" cries the green plumber.

"How about we find a safe spot first?" says Shmarr T.

Mario, holding the back of the line, stomps on a couple of Bullet Bills, but nearly gets caught in one of their explosive impacts. "I agree on that idea."

Just as they pass by a bush patch, a hand reaches out and pulls Luigi and Chanister T down. Without hesitation, the others follow suit. The remaining Bullet Bills pass by them, unaware of their escape. Mario watches them pass by, then turns to wonder who led them here. Crouching with them behind the bushes is Toadiko, Russ T, and Husk T. The latter checks up on Chanister T, whom he pulled down with Luigi. Mario is about to respond, but Toadiko puts a finger over her mouth to signal for quiet.

She motions everyone to a Warp Pipe, also concealed with them in the bushes. "Follow us," she whispers. Mario nods, and everyone slips into the Warp Pipe.

Bowser frowns, crosses his arms, and taps his foot. "Hmph, they got away. Not unexpected, but we'll have to keep an eye out for them." He shouts out to his minions with negative energy. "Hey! All Lakitus and Paratroopas! I want a high and wide sweep around the castle! And don't stop unless you find those plumbers!"

"Yes, Lord Bowser!" some of them shout. A flock of Paratroopas and a flurry of Lakitus fly out of the castle and make their way into the clouds.

Bowser chuckles to himself. "Sooner or later, your heroes will come like moths to a flame."

From the cage, Princess Peach scoffs back, "'Fool me twice' is all I'm saying!"

He steps up to the cage and flicks it, causing it to swing back and forth. "Now, be a good little bait, and remember to mind your manners. Not everyone gets to see me defeat my foes…in all its superstar glory!"

Meanwhile, in the clouds, the plumbers and the seven Toads all make it out of the Warp Pipe. They also react surprised that they manage to step on the clouds without falling through.

"Oh!" says Russ T, "Drat, it changed again! I swear, these conditions would be just horrible for cartographers. And these clouds are not meant to support this many folks at once."

"Regardless," Chanister T interrupts, "this would be a good place for us to stay low."

Toadbert looks over the edge of the cloud. "By-boogity, and a great launch site for a sneak attack!" he cries in delight.

The rest look over the edge as well, except for Russ T, who still wonders if the cloud will still hold them up on the edge like that. Far, far below, they can see the roofs of Bowser's fortress. Layers of flat clouds slowly make their way up in a consistent pattern to the cloud they are perched on.

"Yeah, we can make are way into the castle from above!" says Mario.

"Um, excuse me," blurts Shmarr T, "but _we_ aren't exactly as combat ready as you two."

"He's right," says Mushbert, "I'll also have to agree with Chanister T, by which the seven of us stay here for now…"

"…but you two can save the princess!" Toadiko chimes in. "And this time, we'll have a retaliating strategy!"

"We'll work out the details," says Chanister T, "Time is of the essence, and you two better stop the Koopa King quick, or I fear something far worse could happen."

"Will do!" Luigi replies.

"It's-a go time!" Mario shouts as he jumps with his brother off the cloud.

* * *

"I say we use all the spears for the cannon" Blue Toad shouts at Green Toad.

"Yeah? And _then_ what will we use when they get up close?" the latter rebuts.

"They'll never get up close if we keep firing at them."

"That's another thing! _I_ have been doing all the grunt work for you guys, and I'm going to take a wild guess and say that _I_ am going to be in charge of manning the cannon"

"Oh no, I should fire the cannon, since I've got more battle training than any of you. _You_ can help me load the cannon, if you want…

"Well, here we go again! I do the chores while…"

And so the two keep bickering, as Captain Toad stiffly watches them. He turns his gaze to Yellow Toad, who's taking yet another nap. Then he turns to Purple Toad, who is leaning against the wall of their fort and fiddling with his satchel. Then he looks toward the pending battlefield. His eyes go wide as he sees the Koopa Troop beginning to line up on the other side of the outstretched plains. He quivers in fear.

Finally, with the battle cries of the enemies and the quarreling of his reluctant companions ringing in his ears, he bursts out, "Oh please, could we just get this over with?!" Blue and Green Toad stop abruptly in surprise, and Purple Toad also looks up toward Captain Toad. The red Toad blushes with embarrassment. "Sorry…"

Blue Toad sighs, "Look, the general wants us to keep the enemies as far away from us as possible so his digging crew can finish the ends of the trench and flood it to solidify our defenses."

"Okay," nods Green Toad, "but at this rate, the Koopa Troop will be upon us before we can even wash them away. Even if you're a good shot."

"But then you and the other three can use the Star-Bursts." Blue Toad points to the small pile of orb-like containers the size of grenades by their feet. "That can stun them for a at least a few seconds, or even throw them way off."

"But our throwing isn't that great, and those Star-Bursts are only great on a huge crowd. How can we keep the enemies contained like that if they'll be scattered across the open plains?"

"Excuse me," squeaks Captain Toad. "But I was wondering, since I'm not that great at fighting, m-maybe _I_ could use the cannon?"

Blue Toad frowns, "But you have the least fighting experience of the five of us! How could you even aim well enough if you're so scared…" Then he stops. He looks from Captain Toad, to the cannon, to the Star-Bursts, to Purple Toad looking intently, and then to Green Toad. He smiles with a glint in his eye. "You know what, you're right Greeny. We'll need a few spears to hold our own."

Green Toad slightly smiles. "Thanks. By the way, I'm not 'Greeny'. I'm…"

"Toad, right? But anyway, if we're to use the spears, it's probably best we ditch the Star-Bursts, 'kay?"

"I'm not Toad, either. My name is…wait, **no** Star-Bursts?"

"Right," he picks up all the Star-Bursts and gives them to Purple Toad. "I want you to trade these with the Toads at the forts directly next to each side of us. We'll need more spears. A _lot_ more spears."

"Okay," says Purple Toad hesitantly, but he runs off anyway.

"And as for you!" Blue Toad points to Captain Toad. "Get behind that cannon and get comfy."

"Yippie!" cries the red Toad as he skips to the cannon in a flash.

"Wait, you're letting the **town coward** man the cannon?" cries Green Toad.

"Yes, I'm letting the town coward man the cannon. But have you got something better for him to do?"

Green Toad lifts a finger, but begrudgingly holds his tongue. "At least you're spreading the load of work."

"What do you want me to do?" mumbles Yellow Toad, still lying down on the floor with his eyes peacefully closed.

Blue Toad takes five spears from their pile and flings them next to Yellow Toad. "I want you to hold on to these, so we can grab them when we need them."

"Cool."

A short while later, Purple Toad returns to their fort, overstuffed with spears in his satchel and under his arms. As he adds them to their pile and at least doubles the pile size, Captain Toad practices aiming the cannon. The weight of the cannon proves quite unwieldy, and it doesn't help that he still quivers in fear.

"Hey," Blue Toad says to the red Toad as he loads up a spear into the cannon. "Me and the other two are going to be loading the cannon with spears as fast as we can. All _you _need to do is focus on shooting

"Right! I'll stay focused!" Toad says suddenly. "I'll take it easy before I shoot."

"No. Just shoot when you feel ready. Never thought I'd say this, but trust your instincts."

"Really?"

"Really."

Just then, a huge cry from the Koopa Troop is heard and the Toads witness them charging across the plains.

"Ack! Okay here I go!" gasps Toad.

"Stick to the plan, guys!" shouts Blue Toad, but he murmurs to himself in a panic, "Everything's going to go wrong, everything is going to go wrong, everything is going to go wrong…"

Captain Toad tries to wait until he can get a good shot at a Goomba or Koopa or someone bad. But the whole Koopa Troop runs toward them like a mad mob. They barely get a fourth of the way toward the Toads' forts, when Captain Toad makes the first shot. The spear flies in an arc until it spikes the ground about half way between the two sides.

Green Toad loads up the second spear, while Blue and Purple have spears waiting in hand.

"Get it together, man…" the red Toad murmurs to himself. "Just wait and…" but the rush of enemies coming closer makes him yelp and pre-maturely fire again, not later than three seconds after the first shot. The spear lands roughly near the first spear.

"Just keep it up…" Blue Toad assures him nervously.

Captain Toad barely hears him, and when Purple Toad loads up the third spear, he fires it almost involuntarily. Just as the spear lands, the Koopa Troop gets close to where the three spears lie and casually meander around that spot.

Now Captain Toad is terrified. Every time one of three Toads loads up a spear, he fires it immediately and wildly. Blue, Green, and Purple Toad take turns shoving spears into the cannon, struggling to keep up with the rapid-fire pace. Out in the battlefield, the occasional spear has now become a relentless shower in the column area in front of Captain Toad's fort. Now the enemies diverge radically from the area of volleying spears. This causes even more enemies to press on toward the neighboring forts on either side, where not so many spears are being fired at them. Now the neighboring Toads panic a bit, and start using their extra Star-Bursts given to them earlier, especially since they are running low on spears. The explosive flashes catch a lot of enemies off guard and repel them back a few yards to stop and rub their eyes.

"Hey, you're plan is working after all!" Green Toad says happily.

"It's…working…" Blue Toad says with a smile. "Don't stop, guys!"

Down either side the line of forts, Toads begin to notice the crazy commotion in the middle. Some begin sending Toads over to their neighbors to frantically trade spears for Star-Bursts as well, in hopes of obtaining the same results.

Meanwhile, General Toad also notices the results of the entire battlefield, and notices the enemies being held back better where alternating forts are firing a single type of ammo, as oppose to the mix of spears and Star-Bursts cause plenty of stragglers to break into the line of Toads. He calls to one of his messengers, "Go to each fort and tell them to mimic the tactics the comrades in the center area are doing! And I want to know the moment our digging crew is done!"

"Yes sir!" says the Toad as he scrambles off.

* * *

A dozen Hammer Brothers patrol the walls atop of Bowser's gigantic castle. Suddenly, a Koopa Paratroopa wizzes by them and through a window of the tall central tower. The Paratroopa quickly floats up to Bowser, who is still gloating at the caged Princess Peach.

"Lord Bowser! Lord Bowser!" cries the Paratroopa. "The Lakitus have spotted the plumbers!"

"Ha _ha_!" The Koopa King bellows as a fist bumps the hanging cage, knocking it back and forth again. "Awesome! Fire all salvos their way!"

"We'll try, my king. But the two have come down from above! And fast upon us!"

Bowser flinches for a second.

Peach returns the gloating, "And how the tables have turned…"

Bowser turns his head and flashes a devilish grin her way. "Oh yeah?" He turns back to the Paratroopa. "Have our troops outside fire everything they got! And stay outside with the others; I don't want anyone else other than the red guy in my castle!"

"And the _green_ guy?" says the Paratroopa.

"Him, too!" The Koopa King turns his attention to the control panel of his watchful 'Warp Pipe'.

"Yes, my king!" And the Paratroopa zips back outside.

Through the Warp Pipe, Bowser soon spots streaks of red and green jumping from cloud to cloud not very far from the roof of the castle. Lakitus try to throw their Spiny Eggs at them, but the brothers fall too fast for them to hit. Then some of the Hammer Bros on the roof try to shoot them down with Bill Blasters. But again, the speed of their descent makes most of their shots miss. The two even stomp away the few Bullet Bills that come on target!

It comes down to a rooftop battle between the dozen Hammer Bros and the newcomer heroes. Bowser chuckles as he watches the fight unfold.

"Um, shouldn't you be getting ready?" says the princess behind him. "They're going to get in faster than you think?"

He scoffs, "And then they'll have to go passed my indoor forces, tumble through a giant maze of pipes, _and_ defeat a near-flawless replica of yours truly. I have _plenty_ of time. But if you insist…" He shuts down the periscope-like pipe, just as the two get a last glimpse of Mario and Luigi entering the castle through a roof door. Bowser heads toward the other end of the room, where he spawns a spiral staircase heading down the tower. Mixes of anger and fear wash over Peach's face. But before he goes down, he gets up close to the cage and flashes one last gleeful sneer. "Don't worry, princess; there will enough of your boys left for me to have one good stomping! Oh, and don't forget…" He flicks the cage again, sending it swinging and the princess involuntarily yelping. "I want to hear you scream as you witness me whoop your sorry excuses for heroes!" He laughs as he finally stomps down the stairs.

The stairs close up into the floor with a loud thud, leaving Princess Peach alone in her hanging cage. She stamps her heeled foot and crosses her arms in a huff. "Ugh! Of all the nerve…" she grumbles as she calms herself down. "He is unprecedentedly prepared, if not recklessly overconfident. Can't he see what damage he's doing…" She spreads her arms out and takes deep breaths. A pink aura quickly forms around her. Then bits of the stone walls break off as she levitates them in place. Invisible blocks also appear in disappear in the room. "The real question is, do _I _have enough time to be ready?"

* * *

The salvo of Star Bursts slow down, but not before effectively creating a divide between the front lines of the Toad defenders and the attacking Koopa Troop. It is at this moment that General Toad has already rushed over to the left side of his forces. He approaches two Toads with pick axes, just taking a moment to rest. "Now, boys!" bellows the general to the two. "The other side of the trench is finished! Break the reservoir! Break the reservoir!"

The two Toads furiously dig at their feet. Within minutes, water breaks out of their hole, gushing directly into the trench. A torrent of water rips from one end of the trench to the other. A few Goombas who managed to reach the trench now gasp in horror as a wave sweeps them off their feet, surging down the river way. Within another few minutes, the Koopa Troop realizes they are cut off by a wide and long moat.

All in the Toad Patrol cheer at the success of their defense plan. Green Toad and Purple Toad hold hands as they jump in a circle around Yellow Toad, who hazily smiles and pumps a fist into the air. Blue Toad approaches Captain Toad, who still sits behind the cannon. Even though all their Star Burst ammo has run dry, Toad still involuntarily goes through the motions of aiming the cannon. Blue Toad sighs and pats Captain Toad. "That'll do. That'll do."

The Koopa Troop frustratingly backs away to their encampment, but still linger around a bit. Then the voice of General Toad booms across the battlefield, "Everyone gather around me! Now!"

The Toads squeeze together as they circle their general. General Toad still has his own spear brandished in hand. A very small smile etched on his face, but his eyes were clouded with concern. "Well done, men. Very impressive show of resilience in the face of retaliation. As much as I'd like to celebrate this occasion, the fight still lingers. While we may have blocked off the ground forces, our scouts have confirmed that they have a few Bill Blasters reserved in their camp. I'd wager they'll use them now, and blast a way through the moat. And who knows if they'll send over their aerial troops from who knows where. So…I need a small brigade to infiltrate their ranks and dismantle those Bill Blasters. I need volunteers…"

All the Toads look away, shuffling their feet as they worry about being picked for the task. Blue Toad also looks down like his companions, but after mulling it over he looks up and hesitantly steps forward. "I-I'll go."

All the Toads turn to him in surprise and relief. General Toad smiles, "Ah, excellent! First you come up with the defense strategy, and now you have an idea of how to destroy the Bill Blasters?"

"Um, yeah," he replies, "but, I'll need some familiar comrades to help me." He turns to Green Toad.

Green Toad stares for a moment, then pipes up, "Um, yes, I volunteer to help."

"Me, too," says Purple Toad. Then he pokes his elbow into Yellow Toad, who's drifting in and out of insomnia.

"Me, too!" Yellow Toad sputters without thinking.

"Alright, then!" says General Toad. He approaches the four Toads, lifts his stick, and swiftly jabs it behind them. Captain Toad yelps as he steps up between Blue Toad and Green Toad. "We have our _five_ volunteers for the sabotage mission. Take a good look at them, because their success will determine whether our defense amounts to anything." He leans in and whispers to the five Toads, "Make me proud, boys, and don't disappoint. Go!"

The five Toads run out of the crowd of Toads as the general give new directions to the rest of the Toad Patrol. Each of them grabs a spear and a Super Mushroom from their supply chest. Then they make the careful trek across the grassy battlefield using a large, green blanket to keep them covered.

Blue Toad takes the lead and peeks out from under the blanket on occasion. Fear begins to sweep over each of them with every step. Half way there, Blue Toad turns back to his companions. "I…just wanted to let you guys know that…in case…you know…" He takes a deep breath. "If it even counts, I enjoyed fighting alongside you guys. I didn't think we'd even work together like this, but…let's not break down, and, well, fight to the end…together."

The other four Toads smile back. "Yeah, together" replies Green Toad.

Blue Toad smiles back, "And my name's not Toad either. It's Bucky."

Green Toad smirks, "Well, if we're now going to be going on a name basis, mine's Orion."

"My name's Alan," pipes up Yellow Toad.

"I'm Milton," says Purple Toad.

"And I'm…Toad" says Captain Toad. "I know, I know, not very original."

"It's okay," says Blue Toad, "you'll still be regarded nonetheless…unless you wuss out, in which case you can be forgotten. A win/win, in my opinion." While the other four snicker a bit, Blue Toad begins to slow the group's movement. "We're here."

The five enter the fringes of the Koopa Troop camp. Fortunately, most of the enemies are resting up in their tents for a few minutes before they'll make their counterattack. So the Toads quickly fold up their green blanket and stuff it in Toad's backpack. They dart from tent to tent, careful not to be spotted by wandering enemies. After a quick circling of the camp, they decide to risk moving inward. That's when they spot five Bill Blasters placed near the center of the camp. Some Koopa Troopas stand near them, buffing them up in preparation for the next fight.

Bucky motions for them to duck behind one of the tents. He whispers, "Okay, let's make this quick and get out of here. Toad, Milton, and Alan, go attack the Bill Blaster close by here. Orion and I will quickly sneak around and start with the furthest one." The others nod. "Well, good luck!"

Bucky and Orion quickly dart between the tents, while the remaining three ready their spears. A lone Koopa Troopa is cleaning out the nearest Bill Blaster. "I say we rush in and knock it down hard," says Milton.

"Okay," the other two respond.

Once the Koopa Troopa has his back to them, the three rush in. Just as the Koopa turns around, Alan is practically on top of him. While the Koopa retreats into his shell, Toad and Milton pole-vault on their spears and kick the side of the Bill Blaster. It topples off its column base like a cut tree. But when it hits the ground, a rogue Bullet Bill is shot out. It blasts into a group of tents, setting them ablaze from the explosion. The remaining Koopas around the Bill Blasters are on the opposite side of the inner circle of Bill Blasters when the blast happens, just when they realize what happened, Bucky and Orion spring out nearby and lodge a couple of spears into a Bill Blaster. It sputters out in a black froth of smoke. The Toads surround the Koopas, forcing them to retreat into their shells.

"Alright, nice work!" exclaims Bucky with a smile. "Just three more Bill Blasters to go. But we're going to have to be especially quick, because we're out in the open center, and…"

Suddenly, the fire caused by the first Bill Blaster spreads at a rapid pace. It snakes its way from tent to tent, but only the ones along the border of the center field. The Toads raise their spears and get back to back. As the fire closes the ring, a wave of flame splashes upward where it connects to itself. The splash contorts and bends into a large fireball, landing a few meters away from the five Toads. The flame shift-shapes, with licks of flames on the sides molding into pointed arms. Finally, a set of black, flamey shades develops among the yellow and red body, as well as a black mouth.

"Ha ha ha! I just couldn't wait any longer! I was _born_ to burn!" Cackles the flame, which overbears the Toads at a little over twice their size.

The Toads sweat furiously, from the heat and the intimidation. "Who the heck's this guy?" says Bucky.

"Oh, I'm not just any _guy_," grins the flame monster, "I'm Fryguy!"

* * *

Mario and Luigi, donning their Fire Suits, hurl fireballs toward a blue Bowser, who is blocking the way through a narrow corridor.

"Get lost, you moron brothers!" says the blue Bowser, "I've got a kingdom to conquer!"

"Oh, come on!" sighs Mario, "we didn't come all this way through a ridiculous labyrinth and Firebars just for a fake!"

After lots of bombardment, the fireballs take a toll on the False Bowser, and he collapses to the floor on his hands and knees.

"Ugh, c…an't…focus…" Mist begins to evaporate from the truant fake Koopa King.

"Come on, bro, let's just go," says Luigi. The two jump over the False Bowser. They continue just a bit further, when they reach a passage with a low-hanging blocked pipe, followed directly by a lava pit.

"Hold on," says Mario, "this'll be tricky. We better go one at a time." He makes a running start, then slides beneath the pipe, followed by a quick crouch jump over the lava pit.

"Okeydokey, my turn…" says Luigi. Suddenly, a Buzzy Beetle shell narrowly spins just off to his side from behind him, and into the lava pit. He quickly turns his head. The False Bowser staggers as fast as he can muster toward him. "Oh no!" Without hesitation, Luigi runs toward the lava pit. Just as he slides under the pipe, False Bowser lunges forward.

"Oh no…u don't…" the blue Bowser pants, reaching desperately for the green plumber. And just as Luigi begins to spring into the air over the lava pit, the clawed hand just manages to squeeze ahold of his left leg. Flailing, Luigi braces for the fall into the scorching lava.

"Nooooo!" cries Mario.

Fortunately, the False Bowser still holds tight to Luigi, and keeps him dangling. Luigi holds tight onto the False Bowser's meaty fingers. "I…not…let…go…" yells the muffled False Bowser from the other side of the pipe wall.

"You okay, Weegee?" says Mario.

Luigi gathers his bearings and steadies himself to a somewhat better position. "Yes, I'm fine, bro. But you better go on without me. I'll catch up, I promise."

Mario nods, then runs down to the end of the hallway. After he pushes through a set of doors, he stumbles onto a familiar arena suspended over a pool of lava. Just as quickly as he comes in, the doors vanish. But he doesn't care. Because the one and only Bowser stands before him.

Bowser laughs, "Well, if it isn't everyone's new favorite hero!"

Mario scoffs, "What's the matter? Do I disappoint?"

"Well, I am a tad disappointed my replica didn't give you enough of a beating. Guess I'll leave the fake making to my ol' Magikoopa as usual." He mashes a fist into his hand. "But on the bright side, that leaves more punches for me!"

"Too bad for you then…" The red plumber charges, as does the Koopa King.

Mario hurls fireballs as he's running, but Bowser body checks them without even fazing. So the plumber jumps over him, trying to scorch his backside. But it's still not effective. While Bowser turns around for another charge, Mario darts his eyes around the room. This time, the room is completely symmetrical, with no windows or doors. The only thing that stands out is a switch next to a humongous axe, which is placed onto a part of the wall.

Mario rolls his eyes. _"Really?"_ But then he has to jump out of the way of a huge jump slam by Bowser. The Koopa King lets out a column of flame from his mouth, but Mario rolls out of the way. Mario tries a few more fireballs from up close. They make direct hits to his face, but he merely shakes them off. _"Well, I guess I'll have to resort to the switch…again…"_ Mario runs for the switch while the Koopa King has flinched a bit from the last attack. But another flamethrower stops Mario dead in his tracks.

"I know your game," Bowser roars. "But I'm not gonna let you win this time. You're going to have to put up your dukes if you even remotely believe you have a chance of winning!"

Mario curses, "Fine!" Mario unleashes a flurry of fireballs in Bowser's direction. But the Koopa King is undeterred. Step by step, Bowser stomps toward his nemesis, barely getting smoldered by the fiery barrage. Once he comes up close, he grins and swings a punch. Mario jumps onto his arm and begins throwing his own punches against his scaly skin. Bowser flicks the plumber off, then scorches him with his own flame breath…up close. Mario stumbles backward, his fire suit reverting back to his usual clothes colors.

Bowser quickly jumps into the air, then lands right on the plumber, pinning him down. Mario screams in pain, as the feeling in his legs vanishes in an instant. He laughs, "You finished yet?"

The plumber winces, "Not until…the princess is…safe…"

Bowser devilishly grins, "Oh but she already is! In fact…" He raises an arm and snaps his fingers. A thick sheet of glass opens up on the ceiling. Mario looks up. In a dangling cage, the anguished look of Princess Peach stares through the glass. Her arms were raised on either side of her, and her eyes darted every once in a while. "She's been watching us this whole time!"

"Princess!" cries Mario. With extra vigor, he whips out a Super Mushroom. He is about to crush it, when Bowser swiftly clenches his throat with one hand. Shocked, he drops the Super Mushroom and tries desperately to pull the grip around his neck with both hands.

Bowser roars with laughter. He takes his free hand and precariously wiggles his claws over Mario's chest. Then, he slashes two huge, deep, gashes through his overalls and shirt.

Mario's hands slacken around Bowser's grip, and his eyes flicker in and out of consciousness. Bowser roars triumphantly. He looks up to Peach, grinning from horn to horn. Now, the princess bangs her fists against the cage bars, screaming with tears in her eyes, but no one can hear her through the glass.

Bowser looks back down at Mario. He cocks his head real close to Mario's, to the point where the exhalation from his nostrils start rustling the plumber's mustache. "Well, it looks like you're at the end of your rope. All alone, at my mercy." A flame ignites at the back of his throat. "Any last words before the princess and I?"

For a few seconds, Mario remains unresponsive. Then, with a couple of half-gasps, he mutters, "Behind…you…"

Confused, Bowser slowly turns his head. At that moment, a door had reappeared and Luigi springs out of it. The green plumber takes one look at Bowser, who's still pinning poor Mario to the floor with all his weight. Then he wastes no time in lunging for the switch by the axe. Bowser gasps as the tall plumber stomps the switch on the wall with his feet.

The axe swings down on the opposite end of the arena from Mario and Bowser. The hard-hitting force sends Bowser flying into the air. As the arena tips dramatically to one side, Mario slides across the floor toward the lava. Luigi bolts up the tipping arena, grabs Mario's hand, and drags him to the side of the arena still held up by the chain ropes. Unfortunately for Bowser, nothing and no one is there to break his fall straight into the lava pit.

As the Koopa King screams for help, Luigi lightly shakes his brother. "Come on, Mario, come on! You can't just lie here like _this_!" Tears fall down his face. "You can't pass out on me; not after we just won".

Mario coughs and gasps for air and leaves one eye half open to look up at his brother. "We beat him? You beat him?"

"Yeah, I got him good. Sorry I took so long. The fake guy took longer than expected to dissolve into mist. But come on, you deserve a lot of credit for beating Bowser…again! You took him head on! I just came in to…"

The two stop talking. They both notice that Bowser's screams begin turning into laughter. The turn toward the source of the commotion. The lava begins receding toward one side of the pit. Standing at the bottom of the slanted arena is Bowser, only slightly banged up, but as triumphant as ever. His arms are raised as he commands the lava to swirl and build up behind him.

He laughs, "You thought that switch was a trap? Well, the trap's on you, and now that we're all accounted for…" He throws his arms down. All the lava climbs up the arena floor. Chunks of the stone walls begin avalanching down. Mario tries to get up, but his legs are too crushed to move a muscle. Luigi hoists Mario onto his back and shoulders, and jumps away. The only thing he can grab onto is a bit of stone sticking out of the wall. While the lava just barely singes the brothers' feet, the stones knock them off their holding. They fall down onto the pile of rubble the avalanche caused. Both of them wince in pain on impact.

Bowser laughs. He raises a column of stone beneath him, sending him higher and higher in the room. Lava and stones swirl around him like a sandstorm. His eyes are filled with madness. "I command _all_ the negative energy that has leaked into our world. The power to create anything…do anything…have anything! All are beneath me! The power I have is mine to command. All mine!"

Suddenly, the glass on the ceiling shatters. The shards of glass suspend in midair, as Princess Peach descends from above. A bright, pink aura emanates from her body. Her hair and dress waves smoothly, but violently. And she looks pissed!

Her voices remains firm, but gets louder and louder, "You attack my people. You kidnap me. You come into my kingdom with reckless abandon. You nearly kill an outsiders…"

Bowser does a double-take for a few seconds, at a loss for words. He hurls stones at her in surprise. But Peach uses the glass shards to create a thick shield, ricocheting the stones down to the ground. "No, no, NO!" he panics, shooting parts of the lava this time. But she expands her aura, creating a force field that forces the lava to fork around her. "How are you _doing_ this?!" The princess lifts her hands, causing a bunch of Warp Pipes to rip out of the walls and floor. Some of the pipes shoot Spiny Eggs at Bowser, sending him toppling off his stone column perch. But some of the pipes jettison the seven members of the Toad Council straight out. Peach suspends them mid-flight, and gently holds them in the air.

"By-boogity!" cries Toadbert.

"Well, well," says Chanister T, "seems like we found our secret way in after all!"

"Just a lucky break we didn't stay lost," scoffs Shmarr T.

Peach levitates up to Bowser, who gets back onto his feet. He growls, "Even if you are a Star Child, how could you be able to wield so much power…my own power…_against _**me**?!"

Peach frowns, "You have been using up so much negative energy, and so recklessly, that you have upset the very nature of this world itself. It was only a matter of patience and a bit of quick observant practice that I could syphon the very power you used to found your mad empire. And I had to wait until you were too occupied and drained to make such a comeback." She looks back sorrowfully at Mario and Luigi. "But clearly, I waited too long…"

She waves her arm behind her. The gigantic axe dislodges itself from the ground and wizzes over to her side. She motions her arms and body like a batter. The axe responds likewise and winds back. Bowser's eyes widen, petrified as he still tries to process what is unfolding before him.

"I am Princess Peach of the once great Mushroom Kingdom! And I will not stand to see a tyrant take what we have left! Now be gone!" With that, she swings the levitating axe. It hits Bowser so hard in the gut that he bashes through the crumbling walls of the room, straight out of the castle, and far across the sky.

She sighs and drops the axe. She steps onto the ground by Luigi and Mario, the latter of whom is just barely breathing.

"Princess! Thank goodness you're alright!" exclaims Luigi, still shaking his head to clear his slight dizziness.

The princess smiles and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Likewise". A light pink aura briefly spreads over Luigi, and he perks up. Just as he is about to comment, Peach interjects, "Sorry, but I must save your brother first!"

She bends over and rests her hands on Mario's chest. Her aura rushes across his body as she tries to concentrate. Mario's eyes flicker open. He feels the gashes and scraps on his body, even the two large wounds, slowly closing up. Then he looks up and sees the aura-gleaming princess looking intently at him and his wounds. After a couple of minutes, she lets go and gathers her bearing on her hands and knees. The two of them look in each other's eyes, their faces very close to each other.

"Thank you…" Mario says at last with a small smile.

Peach returns the smile likewise, "And thank _you_. You and your brother have done a lot for us already." The seven Toad Council members descend from their levitation and land next to them. For a moment, everything remains still around the two of them. Then her gentle smile is gone, and she slowly gets back up. "While I thank you two for everything thus far, I'm afraid I need your help once more."

Suddenly, a huge tremor shakes the very foundation of the castle. More chunks of stone fall around them. "I'm afraid this meddling has gone out of hand. The negative energy…will consume at least our whole kingdom if we don't do something…fast!"


	23. Lost to the Next Level (Part 4)

"By-boogity!" exclaims Toadbert.

"It's unrecognizable!" Chanister T cries.

"Are…are we even in the same place?" Mario asks Princess Peach.

"Unfortunately, yes…" she replies. "_This_ is what negative energy can do."

Mario, Luigi, Peach, and the Toad Council members stand on top of the rubble of the once towering Koopa King fortress. All around them, the landscape changes constantly. The colors of the plants flash from green to red to brown to every hue in between. The ground shakes violently like waves on an ocean. Streams of water flow about as aimlessly as the wind. Thunderstorms billow overhead, and grow little by little around the edges. A few enemies from the Koopa Troop scatter about in a chaotic fashion, attacking anything that moves.

"I…I don't understand," says Mario worriedly. "How…is this even _possible_?"

"Well," Peach starts, "negative energy is a type of force that causes reality itself to disassemble. So the more of this energy in an area there is, the more likely everything around will to break apart."

Mario looks at her confusingly. Luigi just stares blankly into space.

"Um, how do I put this…" She turns to Russ T. "Russ T, you showed me some research books on this during my studies. How much do you know about negative energy?"

Russ T clears his throat. "Not much I can add, and even the best scholars and researchers don't even know how to describe the nature of this energy. But for starters, this energy is only a subset of a much grander force on a fundamental-reality scale. Now, I am not a scientist, but to put it simply, there is a theory that all forces like gravity and electromagnetism are manipulated by two opposing energies. One is what we call 'negative energy', and it naturally wants to destabilize all fundamental forces and matter. The other energy, which we first named 'star energy', naturally wants to bind things together. While these energies are as opposite as night and day, they complement one another and tend to be attracted to each other."

"Right now, there is too much negative energy concentrated in the Mushroom Plains," Peach continues. "Bowser found a way to collect and manipulate this energy, not knowing what terrible consequences would come."

"But there have been highly rare instances of individuals who have been capable of manipulating such energies to shape the world to their whim."

"So Bowser can do that…" Luigi ponders. Then he snaps his fingers toward Peach. "Then that must mean you can, too! Like what you did a few moments ago!"

"Precisely," Russ T replies.

Peach sheepishly half-smiles, "Yeah, I can do that…" Then she frowns, "…but only in such dire circumstances as this, unfortunately". She begins to walk off the huge pile of rubble. "We need to head back to my castle as soon as possible. There's something back there that we can possibly use to save everyone and stop this catastrophe." She looks back toward Mario and Luigi. "You guys still have it in you for one last journey?"

"Oh yeah!" Luigi shouts.

Mario clenches his fist. "I can still stand, thanks to you. I'll do my best to keep us all in one piece on the way."

Peach smiles, "Likewise. Let's go everyone!" With that, Princess Peach leads the group across the constantly changing Mushroom Plains.

* * *

Fryguy laughs as the Toads slowly back away from him. "Man, if the Koopa King knew how helpful I've been, he'd _have_ to ask me join his army!"

Bucky darts his eyes back and forth from the fiery creature. A wall of fire surrounds them in a complete circuit, leaving no immediate escape. Fortunately, all three of the remaining Bill Blasters are left inside the fiery loop. "Hey, guys," he whispers to the other Toads, "walk slowly toward the far Bill Blaster…but keep eye contact with Fryguy…and make it look like we're surrounding him."

The others slightly nod. Orion leads Milton and Alan from Bucky's right, slowly toward the desired Bill Blaster, forming a semi-circle around Fryguy. Toad stays to Bucky's left, but steps slowly toward a Green Shell on the ground.

Bucky locks eye contact to Fryguy's black shades. "So, you're part of the Koopa Troop?"

"Nope," says Fryguy, "I'm a free-spirited flame. I have been helping the Koopa Troop here and there. I volunteered to man a False Bowser suit to fight those flame-wielding humans, and I helped send messages between the Koopa Troop factions. But all of my helpfulness is to further the true goal."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Well, once the Koopa Troop re-plunders your capital…" But he is abruptly interrupted when Captain Toad kicks the Green Shell he managed to inch toward. Fryguy slides out of the way. "Ha! You missed!"

But then the Green Shell ricochets around the camp, then rapidly spins toward Bucky. "No he didn't…" he smirks. He squints one eye, and winds back his right foot. The green shell slides closer and closer. At just the right moment, and just the right angle, Bucky kicks the Green Shell. It careens in a beeline through the air…toward a Bill Blaster. It bounces off the head of the Bill Blaster. It topples over hard, and explodes moments later.

"Three down!" cheers Milton.

Fryguy darts toward Orion's right side, nearly grazing him. "Oh, you think you guys are soooo clever, huh?" Scurrying around in circles, he forces the spooked Orion to rope Milton and Alan into falling back toward Bucky.

"Quick, Toad, get to a Bill Blaster!" Bucky yells as the other three Toads begin scrunching up to him from Fryguy's pressure.

Toad hardly hesitates to flee from the scuffle. He makes a beeline for the closer of the two Bill Blasters.

"Oh no you don't!" cackles Fryguy as he skids across Toad's running path. Toad's hiker-sized backpack nearly falls over him as he abruptly halts himself before the skid-line of flame in front of him. Fryguy makes a few more fly-bys by Toad to herd him back to the rest of the brigade.

"I suggest you keep still," Fryguy smirks, "else you'd be sweating more bullets that a Bill Blaster! Speaking of which…" He glances over to a section of the wall of fire surrounding him. It slowly dissipates, and a few frightened Koopa Troopas stand the other side of the fire wall. He eyes them, "Hey, I've got these shrimps here. You take the Bill Blasters over to the frontline."

The Koopas cautiously tiptoe to the two Bill Blasters. As they prep one of them for mobility, Alan gets more and more agitated then any of his other comrades. Finally, he bursts out at Fryguy, "What's in it for **you** anyway? The Koopa King give you a nice fat treasure bribe for joining his side?"

"Yeah, you don't strike me as a Koopa Troop loyalist," Bucky chimes in.

The flame being scoffs, "Me, with treasure? I ain't that easily bribed. I'm a more…maniacal fellow." He looks back to the Koopa Troopas. They have a Bill Blaster ready to go, but look confused as to where to take it. "Ah, good!" He glances at another part of the fire wall, making it disappear. Some of the Koopas begin to quickly push the Bill Blaster toward the open gap, while the others march to the other Bill Blaster. Fryguy looks back to the Toads. "With these remaining Bill Blasters, the Koopa Troop will have enough fire power to bring the destruction of your capital. And your dear Toad Town is in quite a sad state already, I'm betting it's like a tinderbox waiting to singe. Those flames will then be the abundant fuel I'll need to make the **whole**kingdom; heck, the whole **continent** burn before me!"

"You're insane!" gasps Milton.

"_Maniacally_ insane! I'll have a whole land in my own image!"

Bucky's fists clench. "We'll stop those two Bill Blasters, and stop **you**!"

"Try me!" Fryguy cackles.

"Scatter and swarm!" Bucky shouts. The other Toads immediately respond, all running in separate directions, which momentarily causes Fryguy to hesitate. "We must stop them, whatever it takes! For the Mushroom Kingdom!"

"Yeah!" The others nervously cry. The five Toads start by running about, with no real sense of direction. That is except for away from Fryguy, who struggles to give chase to any of them when two of them cross paths on multiple occasions. Even with the ring of fire still keeping them relatively contained, the Toads avoid direct contact with the fiery fiend. But gradually, the Toad Brigade come together where some of the Koopa Troopas are still readying the fifth Bill Blaster. The Koopas are so pre-occupied with the Bill Blaster that most get stomped on by the Toads.

Slightly frustrated, Fryguy burns a bit larger as he says, "Fine, I'll admit you have the advantage in numbers, but that can change…" Then he bursts into five smaller versions of himself. "…instantly!"

The Mini-Fryguys each leap at a Toad. At first, the Toads run around the Bill Blaster in an attempt to ditch their pursuer. Then, two Mini-Fryguys bump into each other after Alan and Bucky nearly collide as well.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" says one of the Mini-Fryguys.

"Me? I thought you read my mind," spits the other.

"Well, you obviously didn't _think_ hard enough!"

"I hate when we split up," moans yet another Mini-Fryguy. "We better catch these fungi before our minds grow any more independent."

Just then, Bucky gets an idea. He pulls Alan in so he can whisper into his ear. "Get the others to the stationary Bill Blaster. Do whatever you must to destroy it, then move on to the last one. And do _not_ stop for me!" Alan looks slightly confused, but agrees to the directions.

As Alan heads over to Milton and Orion, Bucky bolts straight to the two Mini-Fryguys chasing the green and purple Toads. "Hey, Frybozos! You can't even light a birthday candle, let alone burn a couple of fungi!"

This gets the two living flames' attention. "Oh, really?" the two simultaneously shout as they now chase the blue Toad.

Pleased, Bucky runs up toward the other three Mini-Fryguys. "Hey! I bet fuzz is hotter than you!"

This stops the three Mini-Fryguys from bickering with each other and turn to the blue Toad. One of them shouts back, "You don't think we're too hot to handle? Then let us show you what we're made of!" The three lunge at him, but the blue Toad somersaults out of the way. Then, the other two Mini- Fryguys catch up to him, while the remaining three flank behind him. "Get him!" The Mini-Fryguys all leap at him at once.

At this moment, Captain Toad peeks out from the tuff of grass he's hiding in. He notices Bucky being jumped on by all five Mini-Fryguys. But the blue Toad makes a frantic leap off to the side, just a second before the little flame guys collide where he once stood. This leaves the flaming enemies in one fiery pile-up.

Bucky smirks as he gets back up and runs away from the flame pile. Suddenly, a solid white block materializes on the ground, directly in the way of the blue Toad. Since he's looking back over his shoulder, Bucky trips over the block. Once he gets his face off the ground and looks back again, he is shocked to find Fryguy upright and as one singular baddie.

"Ah, much better!" says Fryguy. "Now, to show you how I'm too hot to touch!" He streaks across the smoldering grass as if he's sliding on ice.

The fiery being quickly bears over the blue Toad. Bucky turns over on his back and slightly sits up. He does not run. He does not scream. His eyes grow bloodshot as he's sweating bullets. Out of desperation and knee-jerk reflexes, he flings the white block at his feet at the fiery being. It beams off the flame's forehead area.

To the surprise of both, Fryguy crumples to the ground, groping his forehead with his stubby flame arms. His body flames simmer down by nearly half its former fervor. Captain Toad pumps his arm with a "Yes!" as he stands up out of his hiding spot.

Bucky smiles as he gets to his feet and backs away slowly. He notices that the flames that had circled around them were flickering in and out, like a fountain struggling to pump water into the air. He looks toward Orion, Alan, and Milton, who are bashing the forth Bill Blaster with the Green Shells of their enemies. _"Alright! Now's my chase to go after the last one and…"_

Then the body flames reignite. Fryguy arcs upright, the flames standing on end as he cries, "No one _hurts_ me! _Nothing_ but water hurts me!" He glares at the blue Toad. "You will pay for your little trick!"

Bucky turns around and high-tails for the last Bill Blaster, which was already halfway from the Koopa Troop camp to the moat.

Fryguy speeds across the ground, gaining on the blue Toad. "Oh no you don't!" Speeding twice as fast as the tired blue Toad, he leaps onto him like a lion on his prey.

Captain Toad can hardly move. To his horror, he witnesses Bucky's body singing with first degree burns in seconds. The blue Toad's shrills in agony.

But Fryguy forces Bucky to turn onto his back. The blue Toad's wrists now turning an ugly black. "Look at me! Who's hot stuff now?"

Bucky squints against the intense heat and brightness of the fiery fiend. Captain Toad helplessly watches him kick and scream, having it hurt half as badly as what the blue Toad is feeling.

Then a boom interrupts the series of screams. Fryguy and Captain Toad turn their heads to the source of the explosion. The forth Bill Blaster lays in pieces. Alan, Orion, and Milton find themselves fallen on their rear ends on the ground right around the rubble. "Finally," sighs Orion, "just one left to go."

Fryguy immediately lets go of Bucky and races toward the three Toads. Now that the fiery fiend is distracted, Captain Toad runs up to the fallen Bucky while lugging his large backpack. The blue Toad is singed and sooty. His voice grew hoarse and raspy from all the yelling. He can barely open his eyes or move his head, but Bucky grunts in acknowledgement to Toad by his side.

"Come on, man!" Toad says in a panicky voice, "We gotta get you out of here! How can I help? What can I do?" He bends down, wondering where to carefully grab hold of the blue Toad.

But Bucky shakily lifts his right hand to nudge away Toad's arms. While Toad feels a bit offended at first, he notices Bucky's hand point back toward Toad Town. The captain looks up to see the fifth Bill Blaster over half way to the capital. Furthermore, there is no fire surrounding them. As the captain looks back at Bucky, the blue Toad's arm falls to the ground and he falls into unconsciousness.

The red Toad glances back at the last Bill Blaster destroyed. To his dismay, Fryguy has just knocked out Alan, Orion, and Milton. The good news: the three weren't as nearly scarred as Bucky. The bad news: now only Captain Toad was left in Fryguy's sights.

The fiery guy laughs, "Now what will you do?" Toad tries to turn the other way and run, but Fryguy quickly cuts him off and stands before him. "Your other friends at least _tried_ to take me on." He darts at various spots around Toad, leaving small pockets of fire burning at each stop. "But all _you've _done is keep away."

Captain Toad tries to dart away, but the backpack proves too heavy for him to make any sudden moves. _"Ugh! He's too fast! I have to get to the Bill Blaster, or I'll let everyone down and everything we've done to protect our kingdom will be for nothing!"_ Then, Fryguy dashes straight at the red Toad, sending him flying into the air. As he somersaults back to the ground, his backpack slides off his arms and falls a few meters away from where he lands.

"It's over, little fungus!" cackles Fryguy, "There's no way I'll let you stop those Goombas from lugging that Bill Blaster to the front lines. And once they blow up the moat, the Koopa Troop can lay siege to your town, and I'll have the pleasure of letting it all _burn_!"

Toad forces himself to get back up, even though every muscle in his body screams in pain.

"Just run, little Toad! That's all your ever good for."

Tears trickle down his cheeks. _"Yeah, that's all I've ever done. I run away from work. I run away from trouble. I run away from critics who call me out for being a coward. But who am I to fight back…when they're all right about me."_

Fryguy coughs up a few fireballs into the air. The fire showers above Toad, who darts every which way to dodge them. Then the fiery guy dashes toward him. "Run. Run away and never return!"

"_All I do best…is run…"_ At the last second, Toad sprints out of the way. Hardly dismayed, Fryguy comes back around and tries to ram into Toad again. But Toad dashes out of his running path once again. Both stop where they are for a second, flabbergasted.

"How did you get so fast?" Fryguy tries again and again to headbutt Toad, slash him with his fiery arms, or even spit fireballs straight at him. But Toad keeps running every which way out of his line of fire. Now with a smile on his face, the red Toad begins running circles around _Fryguy_. "What's the meaning of this?" He stops, looking desperately for an open shot.

After a few laps, Toad eyes the white block Bucky had thrown at Fryguy to hurt him. With lightning speed, he picks it up and chucks it right between the fire guy's eyes.

Fryguy leans over as he moans in pain. "How is this…possible?!"

Toad bolts away from the fire guy, out of the Koopa Troop camp, down the slope, and straight to the final Bill Blaster. Before the Goombas pushing the cannon even look behind themselves, Toad is already jumping on their heads. All they can do is scream before they're knocked out one by one. Rubbing his hands together, Toad takes a good look at the cannon. "Alright. Here I go. One more, and we're done." He leaps onto the cannon head, and makes multiple stomps upon it.

Fryguy comes to his senses. Looking directly around him, he notices the yellow Toad, green Toad, and purple Toad are gone. Even the blue Toad has disappeared. But far ahead toward Toad Town, he eyes the red Toad jumping on the Bill Blaster. "Why, that little…he fries today!" And he bolts across the battered plains.

Unbeknownst to him, he passes right by the four other Toad Brigade members, who have remained concealed under their camo sheet as they try to sneak back to Toad Town. Alan and Orion hold the half-conscious Bucky between them. Milton, with Captain Toad's backpack in tow, directs the group by peeking under the sheet. The purple Toad sees Fryguy closing in on the last Bill Blaster, where Toad is trying his hardest to stomp it to bits.

"Toad's having trouble with the Bill Blaster, and the fire monster's almost upon him!" Milton says to his companions behind him. "Should we try to help him?"

"No," replies Orion, "we're in no shape to take him on, especially Bucky. Let's just quickly take him to the medical tent and get the general to send reinforcements. Hopefully, Toad can still keep Fryguy occupied for a little longer until more help can come."

Captain Toad begins to tire out, and he barely makes a few good dents in the Bill Blaster. Then he hears Fryguy shout from not too far away, "You're going to be grilled _and_ crispy when I'm through with you!"

Shaking and panicking, Tiad cowards behind the Bill Blaster, but tries to point it toward his pursuer. After that, he locates the hidden 'off' switch and moves it to 'manual'. He focuses on Fryguy, who is still several meters away. He is about to push the small button to fire, and hesitates. He remembers back during the frontline fight, when he was firing a cannon like now. He remembers how Bucky told him to wait until the Koopa Troop was in range, but panic got the best of him as he fired off prematurely and recklessly.

"I can't go off the rails like that again," he says to himself. "I got to stay focused. The Mushroom Kingdom is on the line, and I can't afford to do any more screw-ups."

Toad takes a deep breath. He keeps his hand over the button as he wait for Fryguy to get closer. And closer…and closer…and closer.

As the gap between them shrinks, Fryguy yells, "I've got you now!"

Finally, Toad pushes the button to fire the Bill Blaster. "I've got _you_!" After a couple of smoky sputters…nothing happens.

"Aw, no!" cries Toad.

Fryguy flashes a huge grin as he is just a few meters away.

Now really terrified, Toad crouches into a ball as he frantically throws the switch to 'automatic'. "Come on, come on, come on!"

The fiery fiend leaps again toward Toad and the cannon. "There's no stopping me! I demand a display of fire…"

BOOOM!

The whole Bill Blaster head ruptures in the backfire. Toad gets knocked away, briefly dazed. Fryguy, on the other hand, isn't so fortunate. Strangely, a white-colored Bullet Bill makes a direct hit at the flame guy. The Bullet Bill streaks fast and far away into the sky, leaving behind only a smoky trail and the screams and cussing of Fryguy.

Toad comes to a short while later. He sneezes from all the soot caked on him from the blast. "Man, wasn't expecting a blast _that_ bad." He stands up and looks around. To his delight, not a single Koopa Troop weapon or foe is near him or his town. All the Bill Blasters are destroyed. "Yahoo! It's over! We won!"

Then some ruckus happens up by the Koopa Troop camp. Toad squints toward the sound of the commotion. Tents are brought down as fast as they had gone up. Soldiers flee away from the capital. The hills of the Mushroom Plains begin to flatten out and rise like a restless ocean. And in the center of all this commotion, Toad can see ten figures jumping in his direction. Seven of them look like Toads, while three look like humans. One of those three is notably clad in red.

"Mario!" Toad cries in delight. He slowly wobbles to them, partly from slight light-headedness, and partly from the occasional tremors growing. But Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and the seven Toad Council members all catch up to Toad. "Mario! Luigi! Princess! You guys made it back!"

As soon as they stop, Mario and Luigi lean against each other as they catch their breath.

"Is it just me, or does the 'negative forces of the universe' have a hard-on for bottomless pits?" gasps Mario.

"I hope I never see that many bottomless pits again," pants Luigi. "Which section do you think had the most broken physics: A or B?"

"I'd have to go with C, actually. Was that the one that had some upside-down Piranha Plants?"

"No, that was D. The princess saved us within that section…many times over. And every subtle change we could make to the terrain helped in a big way, like she said."

"Yeah," Mario looks over to the princess. "And I wish I could hover across the air the whole way like she can."

Toadiko was helping to prop up Peach. Despite looking the most exhausted and flustered of the group, the princess remained upright. "It's definitely not as easy as I make it look. Plus, I was channeling some of that negative energy to amplify my own star power." She cracks a brief smile as she looks back at the brothers. "You guys weren't that bad either, doing that for your first time."

"Thanks," says Mario, "I…think I'd like a Mushroom now…or anything to give me a quick boost."

Toad perks up, "I think I have some shrooms left for you guys, right in my bag…" He reaches behind his back, but realizes nothing's there. "My backpack! It's gone! I…I must have dropped it during the fight. Maybe…maybe the general has extra rations. Come on!"

Toad leads the group out of the plains, around the makeshift moat, and into Toad Town. The majority of the Toads from the frontlines have already returned to town as well. However, there's a bit more of an upbeatness to them. Even before they cheer wildly for the arrival of their princess and the two plumbers.

A bandaged Milton finds Toad and the group. "Oh my gosh, you all made it back! A double victory!" He particularly eyes the brothers.

Mario and Luigi smile back, while Toad interrupts. "They need to heal up. Where's the medical tent, and the general? Where's Bucky?!"

"The general is actually waiting for your immediately report by his post. Bucky was just placed at the medical tent, resting. You should…"

Suddenly, a huge tremor rocks the town, nearly knocking everyone down. A few seconds later, it dies down, but small tremors persist.

Peach looks increasingly worried. "No time for shrooms. We have to get to the castle, now! Mario, Luigi, follow me!"

While the Toad Council members hesitate, the two plumbers follow the princess to the castle as quick as they can. They burst through the front doors, across the foyer, and behind a door behind the grand staircase. In the hallway, they bump into Toadsworth, who was just leaving the courtyard.

"Princess!" the old Toad cries as he instantly leaps onto Princess Peach. He blathers on through his wailing tears, incoherently expressing how much he missed her.

Peach gives the old Toad a couple of taps on the head. "There, there, I'm fine. But the situation has grown too dire. We need the Power Star..."

"What?!" Toadsworth blurts, "B-b-but princess…"

Outside, Toads scream one after the other. On his way to the general, Captain Toad turns to where some others have just looked. His eyes grow as large as dinner plates as he shrieks the loudest he's ever before. From the east, an enormous wave in photo-negative hues blots out the horizon. It swallows up any plants, earth, and clouds in its wake. Thunderstorms rain lightning and hail gravel as a harbinger of doom. Even Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toadsworth can hear the booms and screams from outside, as well as see the light through the windows get dimmer and dimmer.

Toadsworth continues, "I know you used the Power Star recently. But you grew dreadfully exhausted after that. And look at you now; just as tired already!"

"I'll manage," Peach shrugs, "and I've got Mario and Luigi to help me this time."

"Good heavens, no! They've got _no_ experience handling such power compared to even the likes of you. _And_ they look just as tired!"

She bends down and places a hand on Toadsworth's head. "I was taught to protect my kingdom, no matter what it takes. The Mario Brothers hold similar values, and have shown to be more resilient than they appear. With our combined strengths and wills, it should…_will_ be enough to save us all. You know that, right?"

Tears stream down his face as he slowly calms down a bit. "I'm afraid I know. I will _always_ be afraid I know."

"Good. Now, get Dr. Toad or someone to the basement once we're done. Just in case…"

"Right-o!" Toadsworth runs out of the castle.

"Follow me!" Peach leads Mario and Luigi into the basement level, around winding hallways, and through a secret gap in a dead-end wall. On the other side, a huge vault door opposes them. The princess turns a couple of knobs to unlock it. "What I'm about to show you is a secret to everybody. Except for me and Toadsworth, none of the other citizens know how the capital have been protected for all these years." She opens the vault room. In the center of the room floats a star twice the size of their hands.

"That looks like one of those Starman things" says Mario.

"This is a Power Star. It is like a Starman, except its power last indefinitely, even when harnessed. Each ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom has used its power to help protect the kingdom in various ways. The only limitations to its use all depends on the users. Only a select few, the Star Children, have been known to wield such infinite power. And even among the Star Children, only a few in recorded history have actually succeeded in doing so. It's…a complicated artifact to say the least."

"So, how can we help?" Mario says, slightly worried.

Peach approaches the Power Star. Mario and Luigi do likewise, and the three form a sort of triangle around it. "Today, you have proven to be one of those Star Children, like me. Like I mentioned, the Power Star has no limits to its power and capabilities. It is up to us to determine how we direct that power. We could do something as little as healing, or…something as big as fixing apocalyptic destruction…perhaps…"

Mario and Luigi look at each other. "No pressure, right?" Luigi replies.

"What's the plan?" Mario asks.

"Remember how I was able to reshape the terrain against Bowser, and when we were heading back here? Well, we're going to do just that…on a much **bigger** scale."

"But, we don't know how…" says Luigi.

"That's okay," she replies, "_I_ will be the one mainly doing the terraforming. I know this kingdom much more than you guys do, so it makes sense for me to be the architect. What_ you_ will mainly be doing is giving me the strength to apply all these changes. Just follow my lead, and let your instincts do the rest. Okay?"

Luigi nods, sweating bullets already. Mario looks to Peach. She looks uneasy, but her eyes spark with determination. "I'm with you, princess."

The princess takes a deep breath. "Alright. Then let's begin."

She raises her hands up to the Power Star. Her hands begin to glow the usual pink aura. Mario and Luigi mimic her. After a few seconds, her aura changes from pink to gold, like the star. That same aura spreads to the brothers as well. Mario and Luigi stare in wonder and awe…for about two seconds. Then the tremors get worse.

"Concentrate," says Peach calmly, "drown out everything around us, and feel for my aura through the Power Star." She closes her eyes.

Mario and Luigi close their eyes. At first, nothing out of the ordinary occurs to them. Then, a tingling feeling like their 'pipe sense' nags at their fingertips. Images of Peach's Castle, Toad Town, and the Mushroom Plains flash through their minds. Baffled at first, their gut feeling senses that these images are from Princess Peach herself. The images keep flashing in rapid succession.

For each angle of the locations in their collective minds, there are two versions. One is of what is happening right now: fissures tearing through the ground, the sky twisting up with the hills in knots, and screaming Toads changing color and shape. But the other version of the same scene is more peaceful: clear blue sky, soft green grass, Toads unharmed and healthy, and every building pristine and unbattered. _"This…must have been what the Mushroom Kingdom was like before the fight"_ Mario thinks.

Then the destructive images begin to change. Subtle changes, like a cloud pinned in the sky or a stone moved into a wall of a building, appear. With each alteration, the destructive images get closer and closer to looking like the peaceful images. Curious as to why, Mario and Luigi focus their thoughts into the images as well. To their surprise, Peach's mental thoughts block them from doing so. She uses her own thoughts to correct the images of her kingdom. But the speed at which she works her magic slows down. The earthquakes around them grow in intensity. The brothers feel her life energy strain from pushing against the wild pressures of the negative energies to make those changes.

"_I've got to give my all"_ the brothers think simultaneously. This time, the two imput their thoughts toward Princess Peach. They focus on her inner strength. They picture her strength as a leader for her Toads. They remember how she was able to deliver the final blows to the Koopa King. They imagine her standing above her kingdom, with them by her side.

The pace of image editing speeds up. As the two images become more and more alike, the ferocity of the negative force outside decreases. The terraformation gets slower and slower. The three Star Children sweat and stagger as they near completion.

Finally, the destructive image stops changing. Mario and Luigi crack a smile as they heave deep breaths. "Is…is it over?"

"N-no," Peach gasps. "The changes…have not...been set…"

She is right. Outside, every object and living thing appears to be frozen in time. Worse still, the three heroes can still feel the earthquakes relentlessly hammering around them.

"W-we j-just…need to implement…" Peach keels over and falls lifeless onto the ground.

"Nooo!" cries Mario. But he dares not open his eyes when the perfected image in their minds flickers the instant the princess goes unconscious.

"What do we do now?" Luigi shouts over the earthquakes.

"We finish this!" Mario mentally wills for the image to be real. With the assistance of his brother, he imagines the texture and magnitude of the setting. But the two can feel pushback from the negative forces, as if it has a will of its own. Their arms and legs tremble as they struggle to focus. "I finally found a place I feel I belong to, I can't…" The red plumber flickers in and out of consciousness.

"No no no! Not you, too!"

"I can't…let this end…like…" Mario blanks out. As he falls forward, one stray thought reaches out to Luigi. _"It's up to you, bro…"_

Only Luigi stands up before the Power Star. He tries to insert his will upon the image in his mind, but he can feel his life energy buckle beneath the negative energy and the powerful tremors. As his consciousness flickers in and out, thoughts creep into his mind.

"_What do you care about this world?"_

"_This place has given you nothing but danger."_

"_You think this is your home?"_

"No," mutters Luigi, "this isn't my home, but…"

"_It's up to you, bro"_ echoes Mario's last thoughts.

"…but this is all my bro and I have left." Luigi snaps out of his half-conscious state and refocuses on the image of the Mushroom Kingdom.

The thoughts persist, _"So, make this place a home of your own!"_

"_A place eradicated of all threats."_

"_You have the power, and know how to use it."_

"It is not my place to decide what is best for this kingdom. My brother's well-being is all I care about." He pushes his will harder and harder onto the image.

The negative energy pushes right back harder and harder. _"You're a pathetic weakling!"_

"_You cannot stop the natural order."_

"_You cannot control it."_

Luigi grinds his teeth. "Yes, I can! _I will end this!_ Obey me, you stupid star magic!" His body feels as if it's about to boil over. The tremors grow stronger and stronger as an air of tension fills the room. A battle of wills climaxes.

"_Weak!"_

"_Weak!"_

"_Weak!"_

"Shut up!"

"_Weak!"_

"_Weak!"_

"_Weak!"_

Luigi opens his blood-shot eyes. He extends every ounce of strength toward the glowing Power Star. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" His body and aura changes into a photo-negative color as swirls of negative energy flood his body.

After a few agonizing seconds, Luigi regains his normal color. The shaking abruptly stops. The Power Star fades to its usual glow. With one last breath, Luigi falls backward and closes his eyes.

* * *

On the opposite end of the Mushroom Plains, among a group of high-rising hills, a flame-suppressed Fryguy trudges aimlessly. The raging storm above him begins to settle down. The tremors stop.

The fiery creature grumbles, "Stupid Toads. Stupid plumbers. Stupid Koopa Troop campaign. They will pay for snuffing out my fun, especially that dumb luck Toad! I'll burn them all to the ground if I have to!"

"He he, I like your moxie!" says a mysterious voice.

Fryguy's dim flames perk up a bit. "Who's there?" He looks about, at first not seeing anyone around him. Then he notices a shimmering shadow of a large creature, sort of in the shape of the Koopa King. "If this is your weird new way of contacting me, Bowser, I'm not interested in doing your dirty work!"

The shadow laughs. "Oh, you have me mistaken. I don't want you to do something _for_ me. I'd like it if you'd _join_ me…in some world destruction, no less!"

Fryguy flinches. Then he cracks a wide grin. "I'm listening. Need something scorched away?"

"Oh yes, but not _this_ world…" His shadow starts breaking up. "This negative energy is fading away; this world is reverting back to stability. Follow me, and I will show you a world that needs to wake out of its false sense of peace." And with that, the two disappear into the hills.

* * *

"…M…Ma…Mario…Mario!" cries Toadsworth.

Mario stirs as he regains consciousness. He rubs a hand over his eyes. "Where…what happened…"

"Oh thank goodness!" the old Toad says happily. "You're alive!"

Mario darts his eyes. He deduces he is in some sort of pink bedroom, lying on a stretcher on the floor. He tries to sit up, but his whole body shutters in pain. He hunches over, and notices bandages on his right cheek, chest, and left leg.

"Hold it, dear sir!" Toadsworth warns. "Give yourself a little longer to rest up."

"I'm not wasting another second lying here until I know what happened to my brother and Princess…" He immediately notices Luigi lying next to him on the floor in an identical stretcher. The green plumber has bandages on his nose, both elbows, and right leg. While he's resting, his face makes an expression of uneasiness. Mario turns to Toadsworth. "Is he alright? How did we get all banged up like this?"

"Manipulating the fabric of space itself is nasty business. Parts of your body are bound to get brittle after such a strain, especially when you have a lack of experience doing so! Fortunately, Dr. Toad bandaged you up in said places to apply pressure…"

But Mario stops paying attention as soon as he looks toward the balcony. The doors are wide open, and Princess Peach stands upon the edge of the balcony. At the same time, she turns around to look back at Mario. She, too, has bandages placed on her abdomen and right arm and her dress is tattered. And yet, with the backdrop of a clear blue sky, she smiles back, as if she doesn't feel a thing.

Mario slowly stands up, despite the old Toad's protests, and he steps toward her until he stands beneath the doorway to the balcony. He leans against the doorframe, while the princess still grasps at least one hand on the marble railing. No words are shared between them. Only their eyes and a smile is needed to understand what they knew: they succeeded.

Finally, Mario breaks the silence. "Feels good to be at peace."

"Yeah," shrugs Peach. "I almost forgot what it feels like…to not be under the threat of constant danger. I mean, the Koopa Troop could still come back. But right now…our kingdom is safe."

He looks down at his shoes. "I guess…you won't need us around to help save your kingdom…"

"That's not…" She let's go of the railing as she is caught off-guard by that comment. In doing so, her legs begin to falter.

Without thinking, Mario runs over and catches Peach by her waist and right arm before she leans too far over. They look at each other, with bits of blush etched on their cheeks.

Peach clears her throat as she grabs hold of the railing again. "Mario, have a look at my kingdom." She points out over the balcony.

Mario looks where she's pointing…and his jaw drops. "Mamma-mia!" Last he saw Toad Town, all of it was nearly reduced to rubble. Now, the sun shines upon a town filled with mushroom-shaped buildings of all sizes. The cobblestone roads spread neatly through all of it. Even the Toads look more cheery and bright. However, on a closer look, small damages to the structures can be seen everywhere, which some of Toads are trying to fix. "We…we _actually_ changed reality!"

"Yes. Well, it seems like we didn't make everything picture perfect. But this is pretty much what my kingdom looks like. This castle, the town, and the plains stretched out to the horizon are all under our domain. I'd do anything to keep it this way." She turns to Mario. "To be honest, I have only recently been an active ruler. And even then, the Toad Council assists me with some of my decisions. But I'll need a protector; someone who can embody the strength of our kingdom to everyone in _and _out." She takes out her right hand. "Mario, will you, and your brother, stay and be the hero our kingdom deserves?"

Mario tries to process what is happening before him. Then he extends his own hand and shakes the princess'. "Oh yeah! I mean, it'd be an honor to serve you and the Mushroom Kingdom."

"M-Mario?" groans Luigi back in the bedroom.

"Luigi!" Mario runs back to Luigi's side.

The green plumber tries to get up, but he also grimaces from his aching body.

Toadsworth also stands by Luigi. "I told you to rest! Doesn't anybody have any sense of caution anymore?"

"Oh, relax, Toadsworth" says Peach from the balcony. "It'd probably be good for him to get some sunshine anyway."

"It's…sunny?" Luigi perks up. "We…we did it?"

"Yes," Mario replies. "We won. Everything is back to…sort of normal." He helps Luigi stand up while his brother grasps his left arm over his shoulder.

The green plumber smirks back. "Yeah, about as normal as we'll ever get around here."

Mario, Luigi, and Toadsworth shuffle out to the balcony with Princess Peach. The four of them look out to admire the fruits of their struggles.

"You know, this really is a nice place when nothing bad is happening," says Luigi.

"It certainly is, dear sir," exclaims Toadsworth.

"As long as we keep this up together, the Mushroom Kingdom can be a prosperous and exciting place for everyone again" says Peach.

Mario tips his hat and grins, "And that's just what I like."


End file.
